(original by Britney Spears, reinterpreted here by the millennial kids in Glee), is dedicated to the President (PNoy), but unlike Britney Spears, with the exercise of prerogative comes the duty to account by the executive —
in an earlier post, this site pointed out that the President had the prerogative of choosing the means, method, men and women to implement the “law-enforcement” operation, Oplan Exodus (formerly Oplan Wolverine) (“service of a warrant of arrest on Marwan) as Chief Executive BUT HE SHOULD OWN UP TO ITS CONSEQUENCES. Apparently, after the BOI report came out, the President’s Cabinet members (the DOJ Secretary, the Palace spokerpersons, et al) are using this line – well, half of this line: that it was the President’s prerogative as Chief Executive to mobilize any of his subordinates for the special operation. It’s half of the principle: IF THE PRESIDENT IS TO INVOKE HIS PREROGATIVE, HE SHOULD BE PREPARED TO FACE THE CONSEQUENCES OF EXERCISING THAT PREROGATIVE, i.e., be prepared to face the public whatever the consequences are. The President has shirked: it’s Napeñas, Napeñas,Napeñas (repeat 3X until you have a song). You can’t have your cake and eat your bibingka too. (presidential sister Kris Aquino, in answering why she was not running for public office in 2016, disclosed on TV that the family was preparing for a slew of lawsuits against PNoy after his term — You don’t have a good legal team if you think you have criminal liability when you greenlighted this operation — sa tingin mo ba, illegal ginawa mo).
The MILF and PNP-SOCO jointly can help establish the identity of the shooters, especially those who killed the hors de combat (wounded combatants).
Here is the procedure, it will lead to a more efficient investigation of who committed those war crimes: The PNP-SOCO acting thru PNP Chief Espina, thru the peace committee, should give MILF representative Mohagher Iqbal the relevant data in the ballistic report with a formal request to the MILF to trace the guns used, using the relevant data in the ballistic report; and to establish the identity of the shooters. With a timetable….
(oh for crying out loud, too much blah-blah without any useful results — give him a list based on the ballistic report and ask him to trace the guns…… Since you have not agreed on a joint investigation, don’t give the entire ballistic report but a “list” and include in the list what you are looking for)
The Jan. 9 Bahay Pangarap Meeting: The Napeñas Testimony
“On January 9, 2015, we, the President, PNP Chief Purisima, and I met in Bahay Pangarap xxx and Operation Exodus was finalized …” – former SAF chief Napeñas.
i hate to say this but because Operation Wolverine/ Operation Terminator/ Operation Exodus (to capture international terrorist Marwan dead or alive) was a covert operation, and the President chose to head or oversee the operation, he had the prerogative of choosing the personnel, the means, the method, the weapons, the time, and the manner — as long as he was not breaking the law.
That’s the caveat. As long as all his acts were lawful. (and he would account for them).
He knew there would be a firefight in a rebel stronghold — but he hoped the strike would be surgical, he knew it would breach the ceasefire but he thought it would be excusable under “law-enforcement” processes of the government, he knew it was risky and dangerous but he hoped there would be less casualties as the Ceasefire Committee (“Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities”) should be able to stop the firefight soon enough, he knew PNP Chief Alan Purisima was under preventive suspension, but he was the head of state, the Chief Executive (“cite me in contempt”, he’d say).
They got Marwan alright (congratulations), but he miscalculated — in many ways in many different levels with 44 SAF forces to show for it.
What was unforgiveable was the refusal to account for it. And so, a hundred investigating bodies bloomed.
(the Palace advisers surrounding him are too keen on the 2016 elections and the fortunes of their political party)
Instead of learning from the miscalculations for future operations, he is expending precious resources on mitigating the cost of his miscalculations.
Bite the bullet — and leave a legacy of courage and accountability.
