TWO relatives of police commandos killed in the January 2015 Mamasapano massacre have asked the Supreme Court to review the Ombudsman’s decision downgrading charges against former President Benigno Aquino 3rd and two former police officials. Named respondents to the petition were Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, Aquino, Purisima and Napeñas. Prior to the bloody encounter, Aquino consulted then suspended PNP chief Purisima about the execution ofOplan Exodus, the operation against Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli Bin-hir, alias “Marwan,” and Filipino bandit leader Basit Usman at Mamasapano, Maguindanao on January 25, 2015. Marwan was killed, but the ensuing encounter with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bang-samoro Islamic Freedom Fighters took the lives of 44 SAF troopers. Eighteen Moro fighters and five civilians also died in the encounter.

Source: Manila Times November 09, 2017 16:41 UTC