DFA cancelled Lacson's passport
A year after Cesar Mancao implicated Senator Panfilo Lacson in Dacer-Corbito killing case, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has finally stepped up by cancelling both Lacson’s regular and diplomatic passport. Seven months ago, the Manila RTC issued an arrest warrant after 2 counts of murder charges were filed against Lacson
The Department of Justice (DOJ) appealed to the DFA twice on separate occasions to cancel the senator’s passports because he was already considered a fugitive. Being a fugitive from justice is one of the grounds stated in RA 8239 that a passport may be cancelled.
It would be best for the senator to return to the country and prove before the Justice department that the charges were indeed “politically motivated” as he claimed, Secretary Ramon Carandang of Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning said.
Dacer’s camp, pleased at this action, is planning to file a complaint at the Senate’s ethics committee against Lacson for fleeing and hiding from this case. “As a senator of the land, he has the prime responsibility to uphold the rule of law and he is the one who is removing himself from the jurisdiction of this court," said Dacer’s lawyer Demetrio Custodio.
The senator fled to Hong Kong in January, two days before the said murder case was filed. National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been tracking him down but cannot confirm his whereabouts.
As chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during Joseph Estrada’s presidential term. Lacson headed the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) – members of which were believed to have abducted and killed the publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in Nov. 24, 2000. Cesar Mancao II was head of POACTF’s Luzon Task Group.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story
What others are also reading:
- Lacson hiding in Rome
- DFA: There will be no passport services on June 30
- Passport service of DFA moving to new location
- DFA to improve passport processing
- Senator Lacson to be considered fugitive
