In re: the 2015 Mamasapano Incident where Muslim rebels killed forty four (44) Special Acton Force (SAF) policemen, Duterte told Aquino:
“I’m addressing myself to former President Aquino. I don’t have any quarrel with you. I don’t want to disturb your life now that you are retired … But all the investigations unfortunately left a void and unless we address the issues and find the reasons why, (only) then will the families of the SAF 44 have a respite.”
Note that the Office of the Ombudsman has acted on the report of the Senate committee, led by Poe, that investigated the incident in 2015.
The Ombudsman has filed cases in the Sandiganbayan against Purisima and Napenas. (Duterte's justice secretary Aguirre was the lawyer of Napenas during the Senate and Ombudsman hearings).
Recall that an anti-crime group has also filed a case against Aquino, et al for "reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide".
If I am not mistaken, I think it was the VACC (which has been identified with the Duterte camp since the start of the 2015 presidential campaign).
The said criminal case for "reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide" is still pending investigation in the Office of the Ombudsman.
Notwithstanding the assumption of jurisdiction by the Office of the Ombudsman over all pending criminal and administrative cases arising from and related to the Mamasapano Incident, Duterte shall create an ad hoc presidential commission -- the composition of which he shall determine and appoint and which commission shall be directly under the Office of the President -- to "re-investigate" the Mamasapano Incident.
Duterte's excuses are that the Senate investigation had allegedly left "a void" and that the families of the killed policemen need to know "the issues and find the reasons why".
He did not define what the alleged "void" was.
I suspect that the void Duterte refers to is the failure of the Ombudsman to indict and prosecute Aquino before the Sandiganbayan.
Duterte is after the neck of Aquino himself.
Duterte knows that Aquino is no longer protected by the mantle of "presidential immunity from suit", his term of office having expired on June 30 last year.
Duterte now has a chance to shame Aquino via his ad hoc reinvestigative presidential commission.
The Senate committee report was thorough, deep and comprehensive.
However, it could not subpoena Aquino to testify before it in 2015 because of the latter's presidential immunity.
Duterte's decision to re-investigate the Mamasapano Incident via an ad hoc presidential commission under his direct and indirect influence as the Executive, partakes of "political harassment" against Aquino and the Liberal Party.
Last year, it was reported that the LP was scheduled to meet this month to clarify and strengthen its role as a genuine Opposition to enhance Philippine Democracy.
The Duterte re-investigation scheme is a tactical move to divert the attention of the Filipino people away from Duterte's:
* deadly and brutal war on drugs,
* the condemnation by the UN and the whole world of his gross human rights violations,
* his total surrender of the West Philippine Sea to China,
* his anti-American hatred and impulsive pivot from Democracy to Communism,
* his lack of economic focus in governance,
* his self-serving Con-Com scheme to railroad the overhaul of the Constitution to impose Federalism, Constitutional Dictatorship, and elimination of election term limits, among other things,
and many other serious and grave political, economic and constitutional issues against the Duterte regime.
Duterte's hatred for what he and his social media trolls call the Yellowtards (i.e., Aquino, Roxas, and other LP leaders and members as well as non-LP independent-minded critics) is behind his harassment-motivated re-investigation scheme.
