Senator Chiz Escudero on Monday warned the government against politicizing the revival of the Bubby Dacer-Emmanuel Corbito double-murder case. "It should not be used to steamroller the opposition", Escudero suggested.
"I hope the government is out to ferret out the truth so justice may be served and not use this opportunity to suppress and even silence sections of the opposition," Escudero added.
He issued the statement in reaction to news reports that a key witness in the murder, former police officer Cesar Mancao, had executed and signed an affidavit in the United States tagging a number of personalities, allegedly including incumbent Senator Panfilo Lacson, a ranking member of the opposition.
Escudero said the government should handle the investigation of the case "with utmost sensitivity" as it could potentially be used for political ends.
"We should always advocate for and help in the search for truth and justice but we should not tolerate any attempt either to silence and suppress the opposition especially groups known to have long been fighting against this corrupt, insen-sitive, and incompetent government," he said.
Mancao had reportedly executed an affidavit last Feb. 14 in Broward County, Florida, USA detailing his knowledge of the double-murder case, following his extradition from the US.
Where Is The Fertilizer Scam Report?
Escudero Asks Merci
Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Monday asked Ombudsman Merciditas Gutierrez to release her office’s findings on the 728-million peso fertilizer fund scam as it promised to do so last month.
"The Office of the Ombudsman promised to have the report on the fertilizer scam ready by first week of March, or at the latest by March 15. It’s March 16. What will she say next?" he asked.
Her deputy, Assistant Ombudsman Jose de Jesus, was quoted as saying that Gutierrez was reviewing with a "fine tooth-comb" the 125-page report of the special panel.
"Baka nagkabali-bali na ang suklay sa tagal ng pag-review," (The comb may have been broken because of the long review), said Escudero who has asked the Ombudsman to step down in October when she completes the seven-year term of her predecessor, Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo.
He also said that continued inaction on the part of Gutierrez will only bolster the perception that she is out to protect big-time grafters in government.
Escudero also reiterated anew his call for the Ombudsman to release a list of cases still pending in her office so the people will know their status and why they have not been filed with the Sandiganbayan.
The Senate has already recommended the filing of plunder charges against former Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn "Joc Joc" Bolante and eight other individuals for their alleged involvement in the diversion of P728-million in fertilizer fund to the 2004 campaign kitty of local officials allied with President Arroyo.
The Ombudsman has also been slammed for its failure to act on a number of controversial cases such as the alleged rigged bidding for World Bank-funded road projects and the ZTE-NBN national broadband deal.
In the impeachment complaint filed against her, among the cases cited by the petitioners were the Mega-Pacific agreement contract entered into by former Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos, Sr., the extortion case against former Justice Department Secretary Hernando "Nani" Perez, and the case against the "Euro" generals.
"How can we expect the public to trust government when many high-ranking officials involved in such allegedly anomalous practices and transactions are not taken to task for their actions? If we allow this to continue, we will witness the collapse of institutions and, sub-sequently, democracy itself," Escudero stressed. /MP
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