Sen. Imee Marcos questions general over failure to disclose seized carabao case

Sen. Imee Marcos (Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday questioned a military general for not disclosing his previous case over a confiscated carabao.

At the committee level, Senator Imee Marcos brought up the case of Brigadier General Lenart Lelina before the Office of the Prosecutor of Eastern Samar and the Commission on Human Rights. 

“I would just like to clarify. Your affidavit indicates that you have not been charged with a criminal offense involving moral turpitude, when in fact, the Supreme Court records indicate that while you are not convicted, you were charged before the CHR or the Office of the Prosecutor of Eastern Samar for a crime involving moral turpitude. Why have you indicated otherwise to the submission of the commission?” Marcos said.

Lelina, however, said the charges over the confiscated carabao had been settled.

“It’s about a carabao that was confiscated by the operating troops of our battalion, but it was not me that was actually involved, but the carabao was entrusted to our detachment, and so after some time, when the NPAs [rebels] who were caught were set free. I was then a second lieutenant, ma’am, and I was told, directed by our battalion, to dispose of that carabao,” Lelina explained.

“But later on, they made a complaint to the Commission on Human Rights, so I was implicated. But our battalion already paid for that (carabao)…” he further said.

“It’s apparent that you were, in fact, not convicted, but you are, in fact, charged. I just wanted to clarify and put it on record,” Marcos said.

Lelina is among the 48 officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines whose ad interim appointments were approved by the CA.

gsg/abc