Lawmaker asks Aquino to look closer into Llamas’ culpability in guns incident

MANILA, Philippines—Gabriela partylist Representative Luzviminda Ilagan on Monday said President Aquino should look closer into the culpability of political affairs adviser Ronald Llamas in connection with the firearms—including a high-powered AK-47—unwittingly found in his sports utility vehicle when two of his security aides figured in a road accident in Quezon City last Friday night.

In a press conference at the House of Representatives, Ms. Ilagan said the President and his Cabinet were in danger of losing their “moral ascendancy” if they let “this incident go …”

“It is high time for Malacañang to show its moral ascendancy. Their actions should match what they are saying. This should not just be about the question of why he is carrying these firearms. We should ask why he needs them and what special privilege he has,” Ilagan said.

Ilagan pointed out that the President himself an advocate against abuses by government officials including breaking traffic rules and carrying firearms in public.

“Yes, we have to protect ourselves from death threats but nobody should be beyond the rules or pronouncements of the President. Public officials should follow the rules they themselves have established,” she said.

Llamas, who arrived Monday morning from Switzerland, went straight to Malacañang from the airport to face the media’s questions over the incident.

He admitted to owning the five guns—two long firearms and three handguns—saying these were acquired due to threats to his life and that these were properly licensed.

Llamas also confirmed that his two security aides—Joey Valderama Tecson and John Brillant Alarcon—have been dismissed but are staying in their respective homes while an investigation is being conducted.

He said Tecson and Alarcon were instructed Friday to take his SUV to his house and ensure it was secure in his absence. But the two went instead on a drinking session then took the vehicle for a joyride, which led to the collision with a truck along Commonwealth Ave.

In a statement on Sunday, Llamas’ office said that Tecson and Alarcon had been placed under investigation and would likely be dismissed for using Llamas’ Mitsubishi Montero “for their own personal purposes without authorization and against explicit office policies” last Friday.

It also said that the firearm found inside the car, an AK-47 rifle, which was seen in a video footage taken at the time of the accident was “duly registered with the appropriate authorities in the name of Llamas and is covered by a valid firearms license.”

“(We) deeply regret this unfortunate incident and (have) already initiated the process to effect the immediate dismissal from the service of these two staff members,” the Office of the Presidential Adviser (OPA) said.

“The OPA is also extending full cooperation to the ongoing police investigation and fully supports any legal and judicial processes that may arise as a result of this incident,” the statement said.

Act party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, meanwhile, said on Monday that the President’s men were not only “utak wang-wang but also utak bang-bang.”

“I don’t think his (Llamas) explanation is clear. Malacañang has to elaborate on this incident,” said Tinio.