OPPOSITION lawmakers welcomed Thursday the decision of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to reopen the House probe into the covert Mamasapano operation in which 44 police commandos were killed on Jan. 25.
Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, leader of the independent minority bloc, said reopening the probe by the committees on public order and peace, unity and reconciliation, would provide answers to many questions behind the debacle.
“This is a good move in our quest for justice for our fallen heroes,” said Romualdez, who earlier opposed the resumption of hearings on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), without a resumption of the House probe on Mamasapano.
Hearings on the BBL, the lynchpin in peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), had been suspended after lawmakers learned that MILF fighters had joined in the massacre of the police commandos.
In announcing the resumption, Belmonte said the House probe would not touch on matters already covered by the police board of inquiry and the Senate, both of which have released their findings.
House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said House leaders decided to resume the investigation after a series of meetings between Belmonte and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and 120 lawmakers who had signed a resolution calling for the probe’s resumption.
“This goes to show that the House leadership is sensitive and listening to the sentiments of our colleagues,” Gonzales said.
To give way to the Mamasapano probe, Gonzales said the leadership also permitted the ad hoc panel led by Rodriguez to meet during the congressional break, from April 20 to 30.
The House committees on public order and safety and peace, reconciliation and unity held only one hearing on the Mamasapano massacre on Feb. 11 before suspending the investigation.
Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, one of the 126 lawmakers who signed the resolution calling for a resumption of the probe, said it was important that the leaders of the two committees strictly focus on their fact-finding mission to avoid the “circus-like” atmosphere of the first hearing.
Albano urged the committee leaders to clearly establish the parameters of the probe, set a definite timetable for the hearings, and strictly observe ground rules for the orderly conduct of the proceedings.
“The complexities and political fallout of the Mamapasano bloodbath continues to outrage the nation as the quest for the truth and identification of those responsible for the mess remains unanswered,” Albano said. “The House probe, therefore should not lose focus on the essentials of
the probe as the hearings should be able to strike a balance on the quest for justice for the ‘Fallen 44’, on one hand, and the pursuit of the peace agreement between the government and the MILF, on the other.”
A Pulse Asia survey released Thursday showed most Filipinos are opposed to the passage of the BBL.
According to the Pulse Asia survey, 44 percent of Filipinos are opposed to the bill’s passage, with strong opposition coming from Mindanao (62 percent) and Metro Manila (52 percent).
More Filipinos were undecided (36 percent) about the BBL than those that support it outright (21 percent).
The rest of Luzon and the Visayas saw opposition to the BBL at 32 percent and 43 percent, respectively.
In the best-off Class ABC, public opinion is split three-ways with 37 percent rejecting the BBL’s passage.
The survey was conducted from March 1 to 7, using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents.
