In January this year, former President Benigno Aquino III denied having a direct participation in the botched operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, by the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) that led to the deaths of 44 police commandos on Jan. 25, 2015. ADVERTISEMENTAquino said the insubordination of SAF commander Director Getulio Napeñas led to the clash with Moro rebels. “If I had a fault as President at the time, it would be this: It never occurred to me that Napeñas would lie to the President of the Philippines,” Aquino said. He said he instructed Napeñas to coordinate with the military for armor, artillery, air and troop support in the event the mission was discovered and Moro rebels responded in force. But Napeñas informed the military about the mission only when the raid was underway, instead of “days before” to give the military time to prepare, he said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 14, 2017 21:00 UTC