Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Friday said she saw nothing wrong in the US involvement in the government operation last January 25 in Maguindanao that led to the death of more than 60 people, including 44 elite policemen.
In an interview, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said there was no "Constitutional or legal transgression" when the US military extended intelligence information and medical assistance to members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force conducting Oplan Exodus.
"And even if there is information that there was presence of several personnel in the command post, per se I don’t see any transgression," she added.
"We all know that we’re all engaged in the global war against terrorism. And therefore the cooperation between and among sovereign states is key, very crucial in terms of combatting terrorism," De Lima added.
De Lima said that under the Constitution, only the following acts are prohibited: "The establishment of military bases without concurrence of the Senate, the bringing in of nuclear weapons, and intervention in the affairs of the state as a sovereign state.
PHL needs 'all the help we can get'
The Justice secretary stressed that the Philippines "needs all the help we can" to secure the "largely unguarded coastal frontiers in the south." De Lima said there could be no transgression as long as the Philippine government retains absolute control in security operations.
De Lima said in February that looking into reports of US military involvement in the Mamasapano clash is "unavoidable".
More than 60 people, including 44 elite policemen, were killed in the police operation to arrest high-profile terrorist targets that led to a day-long clash with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has an existing peace agreement with the government.
Also involved in the clash were members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters splinter group and other armed groups.
Also involved in the clash were members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters splinter group and other armed groups.
In a February 5 report, the Manila Times, quoting unnamed sources, said the firefight erupted while American troops—after the US government supposedly paid the MILF—were fetching the terrorist targets from the rebel group.
In a Senate inquiry on the clash, relieved Special Action Force chief Director Getulio Napeñas said there were six US soldiers at the SAF command post in Maguindanao during the January 25 implementation of the operation to arrest wanted terrorists Zulikfli bin Hir alias Marwan, Malaysian bomb maker Amin Baco, and Filipino bomb maker Basit Usman.
He also said that the US troops provided the intelligence on Marwan who was killed during the operation. Napeñas, however, said that these US soldiers did not participate in the actual combat.
On Wednesday's hearing at the House of Representatives, Napeñas said these six US soldiers belonged to the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) which was conducting joint military exercises with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
JSOTF-P, which is based in Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City, has been training and assisting Philippine counterterrorism forces in the Philippines since 2002.
JSOTF-P, which is based in Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City, has been training and assisting Philippine counterterrorism forces in the Philippines since 2002.
Napeñas said the US military also supplied the comprehensive map of the target area in Barangay Tukanalipao in Mamasapano town just three days before the implementation of Oplan Exodus.
Napeñas said he requested a chopper from the US military for the evacuation of the injured SAF troopers on the same day of the encounter and not prior to the implementation of the operation.
The Makabayan-bloc at the House of Representatives has pointed at these as proof that the US had "direct and unlawful intervention and supervision" in the operation.
The Makabayan-bloc at the House of Representatives has pointed at these as proof that the US had "direct and unlawful intervention and supervision" in the operation.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.