Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II on Friday assailed Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for the latter’s pronouncement that retired police officer Arturo Lascañas, who left the country last April for Singapore, may have obtained political asylum abroad.
Aguirre said Trillanes’ statement, if true, sends a wrong message that it is alright to obtain political asylum despite being a self-confessed killer of media personality Jun Pala.
“We should remember that Arturo Lascañas is a self-confessed killer of media personality Jun Pala. There are three warrants of arrest issued against Arturo Lascañas by the Regional Trial Court of Davao City,” Aguirre said in a statement.
“Senator Trillanes should be very careful about his pronouncements that there is a possibility that Arturo Lascañas, the discredited witness he presented before the Senate may have obtained political asylum abroad. It sends a very wrong message to the Filipino people that a person charged with murder and who has several warrants of arrest issued against him by the proper court can escape criminal liability by the mere expediency of seeking an asylum abroad,” he added.
The Justice secretary pointed out that Lascañas is the self-confessed killer and he himself admitted to it.
“If Arturo Lascañas will be able get an asylum, he will be evading the penal consequences of a criminal act to which he admitted to doing,” Aguirre added.
It was Trillanes who presented Lascañas as witness during the Senate inquiry on the alleged link of President Duterte into the killings carried out by the so-called Davao Death Squad.
Aguirre said the media, both local and international, should oppose the grant of an asylum to Lascañas because the person murdered in cold blood by him is a media personality.
“Mr. Jun Pala is the media’s brethren in the profession. Otherwise, all that a media killer in the future will do is to seek the help of a Senator Trillanes and ask him to arrange for the grant of a political asylum abroad to escape punishment for murder. It is wrong, so very wrong”, he said.
Earlier, Aguirre sent a letter to the Department of Affairs (DFA) to cancel the passport of Lascañas,. Aguirre said that Lascañas has three warrants of arrest issued against him, noting that he has to be brought to the court to face the charges against him.
“Since he is abroad and since there is no indication that he will return, we are constrained to request the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel his Philippine passport.”
The Davao City Regional Trial Court Branch 10 issued an arrest warrant against Lascañas last week over the cases of murder and attempted murder over the killing of broadcaster Juan “Jun” Pala in 2003.
The Davao City Prosecutor’s office approved his indictment on the complaint filed by Pala’s wife Louise, citing his extrajudicial confession of the crime in his testimony during Senate investigation last February where he admitted his involvement in the killing. Murder is a non-bailable offense.
Before the arrest warrant was issued by the court, Lascañas was able to leave the country last April. Aguirre said that Lascañas has to be brought before the court to face charges against him.
“If he believes in his innocence then he should welcome the arrest as chance for him to clear his name and get on with his life. However, if he is guilty, we cannot tolerate his continuing flight,” he said.
“As it is said, when a crime goes unpunished, the world is unbalanced and the heavens will look down on us in shame. We cannot allow it. We will be remiss in our duty. We are equally guilty if we do so,” Aguirre said.
Last June 13, Aguirre ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to track down and arrest Lascañas. Aguirre ordered NBI Director Dante Gierran to coordinate with the International Police Organization (Interpol) to gather information on the location and whereabouts of Lascañas.
“In the interest of the service and pursuant to the provisions of existing laws, you are hereby directed to coordinate with the (Interpol) to gather information on the location and whereabouts of… Lascañas andto coordinate with the proper authorities for his apprehension,” the memo said.
Lascañas left the Philippines with his family onboard Tiger Airways flight 2703 to Singapore last April 8. His return ticket was April 22, 2017 but Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Atty. Maria Antonette Bucasas Mangrobang said they have no record of his return. She added that they cannot ascertain if Singapore was his final destination or merely a stop over.
During the Senate hearing last March, Lascañas accused Duterte of paying DDS members up to P100, 000 to kill criminals as well as his enemies when he was still the Davao mayor.
Lascañas also implicated Duterte’s son Paolo – now Davao City vice mayor – in the killings. Edgar Matobato, another self-confessed DDS assassin, had also testified in the Senate that the President had wanted Pala dead for criticizing him in his radio program.
In pursuing the case against Lascanas, the Davao City Prosecutor’s Office used his extrajudicial confession during the hearing of the Senate committee on public order headed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Aside from the President, Lascañas had also named fellow police officer SPO4 Sonny Buenaventura and Jim Tan, Mr. Duterte’s bodyguard, in the murder of Pala.