Any prospective investigation by the Senate into the shooting incident inside its premises last May 13 should focus on remedial measures rather than criminal liability, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Friday.
Lacson said law enforcement agencies already probing the incident should handle the criminal investigation, adding it would be awkward for the Senate to investigate itself.
“I will suggest that we let the National Bureau of Investigation or Philippine National Police, or even the Department of Justice, do the investigation. Limit the Committee of the Whole Inquiry’s inquiry into coming up with remedial legislation or administrative remedies so there will be no repeat of what happened last May 13. We should not interfere in the aspect of who is at fault or who should face charges,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview on True FM.
In Filipino: Lacson: Posibleng Imbestigasyon ng Senado sa Pamamaril Noong Mayo 13, Dapat Tumutok sa Remedial Measures
“For me, it’s really awkward for us to be investigating ourselves,” Lacson, who served as an investigator and chief of the PNP from 1999 to 2001, added in an interview on DZBB radio.
Otherwise, he said “we would become a spectacle again if we point fingers at each other, so it’s better to have a focused and positive approach.”
He said he will raise this on Monday when the Senate resumes its session and discusses the issue.
Lacson said he wants to take a closer look at the closed-circuit TV (CCTV) footage not only of the May 13 incident, but of the events starting May 11, when Sen. Ronald dela Rosa entered the Senate, until he left the Senate premises before dawn of May 14.
He said this will not only address claims that the videos released earlier by authorities were “spliced,” but also show how the NBI tried to serve the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on dela Rosa.
“We will stick to the facts as it happened and unfolded,” he said.
Lacson noted that the NBI had tried to serve the ICC’s arrest warrant on dela Rosa, but assigned two female agents to do the job. Dela Rosa had managed to get past the agents and reach the session hall last May 11.
“If the NBI had assigned five bigger agents, what happened last May 11 might not have happened,” he said.
Lacson also said anyone seeking to hold Sen. Robinhood Padilla accountable for supposedly helping dela Rosa escape may file a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee, which cannot initiate a probe on its own.
“A complaint has to be filed and it has to be sufficient in form and substance for the ethics committee to act on it,” he said, adding it would be better if a civilian filed it because a senator who files a complaint will have to inhibit himself or herself from the case.
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Lacson: Posibleng Imbestigasyon ng Senado sa Pamamaril Noong Mayo 13, Dapat Tumutok sa Remedial Measures
Anumang posibleng imbestigasyon ng Senado sa insidente ng pamamaril sa loob ng gusali nito noong Mayo 13 ay dapat tumuon sa pagbuo ng mga remedial measures imbes na pagtukoy ng criminal liability, ani Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Biyernes.
Giit ni Lacson, bukod sa dapat hayaan sa mga law enforcement agencies na kasalukuyang nag-iimbestiga ang pag-asikaso sa aspektong kriminal, magiging “awkward” kung ang Senado mismo ang mag-iimbestiga sa sarili nito.
“Suggest ko ito, hayaan natin ang National Bureau of Investigation or Philippine National Police, o even Department of Justice, na magsagawa ng investigation. I-limit namin ang aming Committee of the Whole inquiry or investigation sa pagbalangkas ng remedial legislation or administrative remedies para di na maulit ang ganung pangyayari sa Senado. Huwag na kami makialam sa aspeto ng investigation para hanapin sino may kasalanan o sino ang fa-file-an ng kaso,” aniya sa panayam sa True FM.
“For me, it’s really awkward for us to be investigating ourselves,” dagdag niya sa hiwalay na panayam sa DZBB radio.
Kung hindi, aniya: “maging spectacle na naman tayo pag nagturuan tayo nang nagturuan kaya mag-limit tayo sa positive approach.”
Sinabi ni Lacson na ilalahad niya ang kanyang panukala sa Lunes kapag muling nagbalik sesyon ang Senado.
Nais ni Lacson na masusing pag-aralan ang closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage hindi lamang ng insidente noong Mayo 13, kundi pati ng mga pangyayari mula Mayo 11 kung kailan pumasok si Sen. Ronald dela Rosa sa Senado, hanggang sa pag-alis nito madaling araw ng Mayo 14.
Aniya, makatutulong ito hindi lamang para sagutin ang mga paratang na “spliced” ang mga inilabas na video, kundi para rin maipakita kung paano tinangkang ipatupad ng NBI ang arrest warrant ng International Criminal Court laban kay dela Rosa.
“We will stick to the facts as it happened and unfolded,” aniya.
Binanggit din ni Lacson na nagtangkang mag-serve ang NBI ng ICC arrest warrant kay dela Rosa, ngunit dalawang babaeng operatiba lamang ang inatasan dito. Ayon sa kanya, nakalusot si dela Rosa sa mga ito at nakarating sa session hall noong Mayo 11.
“Kung ang pinagserve niya doon limang matitipunong NBI agents, palagay ko hindi umabot sa ganitong pangyayari,” aniya.
Dagdag niya, maaaring magsampa ng reklamo sa Senate Ethics Committee ang sinumang nais papanagutin si Sen. Robinhood Padilla sa umano’y pagtulong kay dela Rosa sa pag-iwas sa pag-aresto, ngunit hindi ito maaaring magsimula ng sariling imbestigasyon.
“Kailangan meron mag-file ng complaint na sufficient ang form and substance para umandar ang proseso sa pag-imbisiga sa Ethics Committee against any senator for that matter,” aniya.
Dagdag pa ni Lacson, mas mainam kung sibilyan ang magsasampa ng reklamo dahil kung senador ang maghahain nito ay maaaring kailangan niyang mag-inhibit sa kaso.
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