Malacañang to Liza Maza: Turn yourself in

National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary Liza Maza said the mutual trust between the appointed leftist Cabinet members and the rest of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte administration remains intact during the press briefing in Malacañang in this file photo taken on February 16, 2017. ROBINSON NIŇAL / Presidential Photo

Malacañang has called on National Anti-Poverty Commissioner Liza Maza to surrender to authorities after an arrest warrant was issued against her by a Nueva Ecija trial court.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday said that the arrest warrant against her was lawfully issued by the court, and that she should prove her innocence by turning herself in.

“She has to respect the rule of law. I ask her to surrender, face the charges against her, prove her innocence,” Roque said.

“She cannot be absent. Her office is very critical to the fight against poverty. We cannot have a secretary who is a fugitive from the law,” he added.

Roque assured Maza that “she has no reason to worry about, the fact that our courts can be relied upon for an impartial decision.”

“If they’re innocent, they should in fact surrender, recognize the jurisdiction of the court, and prove their innocence in court,” he said. “We expect Cabinet members to adhere of the rule of law of this country.”

Arrest warrants were issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 40 in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija against Maza, former Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael “Paeng” Mariano, and former lawmakers Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casino.

The trial court issued the warrants for charges filed in 2006 over alleged double murder following an election-related violence.

Unless President Rodrigo Duterte fires Maza, Roque said that “the presumption is there” that the Anti-Poverty chief still enjoys the trust of the President.

“As I said, unless the President fires her, the presumption is there. But we’ll find out soon enough,” Roque said.

“She hasn’t been fired, but because she’s wanted, she may become a fugitive if she doesn’t surrender. If she goes on AWOL, absent without [official] leave, then the President will have to decide on her continuing appointment,” he also said. /jpv