JUSTICE SECRETARY Vitaliano N. Aguirre II on Wednesday opined that the usurpation and graft charges filed against ex-President Benigno S. C. Aquino III over the botched Mamasapano operation are petty.

“Masyadong maliit nga ’yun, (That’s too petty),” Mr. Aguirre told reporters in an ambush interview, ”As a matter of fact, (it’s) bailable.”

Last Friday, the Office of the Ombudsman indicted Mr. Aquino for his liability in a 2015 operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that took the lives of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) police officers. He was charged for violation of usurpation of authority (Article 177 of the Revised Penal Code) and violation of Section 3(a) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019).

The Justice chief said he has yet to read the resolution by the anti-graft court, but he believes that “by and large, the findings of fact of the Ombudsman is accurate.”

“But when it comes to application of these findings as to what cases really should be filed, I am not yet in the position to comment on that,” Mr. Aguirre clarified.

Also charged by the office of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales are Mr. Aquino’s “co-conspirators” — former Philippine National Police director-general Alan L. M. Purisima and former SAF director Getulio P. Napeñas, who is Mr. Aguirre’s relative and former client during the Senate probe on the Mamasapano incident.

Mr. Napeñas, in a chance interview yesterday at the Department of Justice, said he was told that the case filed against him are weak. The ex-SAF commander insisted that the former president should have provided artillery support for the operation.

“Yun ang pananagutan niya: Bakit ’di siya nag-provide ng tulong? Umaga hanggang hapon, (That’s his liability: Why didn’t he provide help? From morning until afternoon.)” Mr. Napeñas told reporters.

The same point was raised in the Senate probe earlier in 2016.

Asked about Mr. Aquino’s claim of innocence, Mr. Napeñas said the people would be the best judge of that.

The Mamasapano operation, codenamed “Oplan Exodus,” was aimed at capturing terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Abdulbasit Usman, who were in hiding in a remote part of the town. The predawn operation, however, ended up in a fierce gunfight between the SAF officers and Moro fighters in the area who were not informed of the operation. A cease-fire with the military has been in place following the peace agreement signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Apart from the 44 police commandos, 18 Moro fighters and several civilians also died.

The botched operation derailed the proposed Bangsamoro law, which was founded on the MILF-government peace deal. — Kristine Joy V. Patag

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR