Justice Secretary Leila de Lima
MANILA, Philippines–The government’s Witness Protection Program should have “more teeth” to better protect whistle-blowers and rein in witnesses who resist security measures, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and the relatives of murdered carjacking victims said Tuesday.
De Lima said the Department of Justice was reevaluating the WPP after Alfred Mendiola, the state witness in the government case against the carjacking syndicate allegedly led by the Dominguez brothers, and two other male companions were found dead on Monday.
“We are now having this evaluation to make sure that witnesses are fully aware of their obligations. It’s not a one-sided thing and has to be reciprocal undertaking between government and the witness,” de Lima said.
“There must be some way in which the WPP can apply some coercive power. But the WPP is not the jailer. We can’t detain them against their will,” she added.
Lawyer Oliver Lozano and Arsenio Evangelista, whose sons were allegedly murdered by the Dominguez carjacking ring, met with De Lima Tuesday and called for amendments to Republic Act 6981 or the Witness Protection, Security and Benefits Program.
“We feel the need of an amendment of the Witness Protection Program law. Under the present law, a breach of the agreement (leads to the) termination (of the witness) as state witness. If there is a breach, you can terminate,” Lozano said.
“(But) if you terminate the witness, you may lose the case. We need a witness to convict,” he said.
Lozano said the WPP should be empowered to restrain the movement of witnesses and “that only the courts should have the power to order a witness to leave the WPP.”
“A high-risk witness exemplified by Mendiola … must be provided not only with safe houses but (also) personal security,” said Dante Jimenez, founding chair of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.
Jimenez accompanied Lozano and Evangelista when they met with de Lima. DOJ records showed that the WPP was looking after 514 witnesses as of January 2012 but its security force only had 175 members.
“(Mendiola) didn’t want restriction. He wanted to be able to go around freely. We told him that’s not allowed because he is high risk,” de Lima said.