- Poe asked Roxas if his performance as former head of DOTC and DILG is the reason why Aquino didn’t tell him about Mamasapano operation
- Roxas said that Aquino thought he already knew about the operation
- Poe asked Roxas if Aquino’s presence in Zamboanga during the siege is an indication that President Aquino does not trust him
- Roxas lashed back at Poe, saying that Aquino needed to be present in Zamboanga to fulfill his responsibility as commander-in-chief
CEBU, Philippines – Senator Grace Poe took her opportunity to ask fellow presidential aspirant Manuel “Mar” Roxas II regarding the current administration’s biggest challenges during the second leg of presidential debate done in Cebu City on Sunday.
Aries Joseph Hegina mentioned in his article for Inquirer published on March 20 that Poe asked Roxas if his performance (or the lack of it) as former head of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is the reason why he was kept in the dark during the planning and execution of the failed Mamasapano operation in 2015.
“Sa lahat ng nangyari ay may kakulangan. Ang tanong ko lang po Secretary, hindi kaya ‘yan ang dahilan kung bakit hindi kayo pinagkatiwalaan ng Pangulo na malaman ang operasyon ng Mamasapano?” Poe questioned Roxas.
[“For everything that happened, there are shortcomings. My question to the Secretary, was that the reason why our President did not trust you to know about the Mamasapano operation?”]
Photo Credit: Politics
Roxas answered the question saying that Aquino thought he already knew about the operation. He then proceeded by lashing out at Poe for seemingly not knowing what really happened in the failed operation when, in fact, she was the chairman of the committee which investigated the incident.
“’Yan po ay bahagi ng report n’yo. Itinago sa akin mismo ang operation na ito,” Roxas said.
[“That was a part of your report. This operation was hidden from me.”]
An article by Bea Cupin for Rappler published on March 20 said that Poe asked Roxas if Aquino’s presence on the ground during the Zamboanga siege was an indication that President Aquino does not trust him.
“Ang pangulo mismo ay kinailangan pang pumunta ng Zamboanga para masigurong maayos ang operasyon. Kung tunay na nagtitiwala sa mga namumumo sa panahong iyon, bakit kailangan niya pang pumunta doon?” Poe said.
[“The president had to personally be in Zamboanga to make sure that the operation was carried out properly. If he truly trusts the people leading that time, why did he have to go there?”]
“Malaki ang naibigay sa kanya, pero parang bakit kulang pa rin (He has been given a lot, but why have the results been inadequate)?” Poe added.
Roxas lashed back at Poe; saying that Aquino needed to be present in Zamboanga to fulfill his responsibility as commander-in-chief.
Post a Comment