De Lima slows down on Lacson’s travel papers, prefers to wait for BI report

MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday said she would rather wait for the report of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) regarding the travel documents of Senator Panfilo Lacson before making any comments if the government could pursue a case against the lawmaker.

Speaking with reporters, De Lima confirmed that she received a letter from Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis informing her that the serial number that appeared on Lacson’s travel papers that he presented when he came out of hiding “has not yet been issued.”

“The (Department of Foreign Affairs) informed about those supposed irregularities in the (travel documents). I’m just waiting for the report of the BI so that I would know if there’s cause for the filing of a case,” De Lima said.

Upon Lacson’s unannounced arrival in Mactan Cebu International Airport on March 26, the justice secretary immediately directed the BI, an attached agency of the Department of Justice, to look into the circumstances of his purported stay abroad despite the cancellation of his passport.

“It’s been a while since the BI conducted its probe. I’ll just follow it up with the immigration office,” she said.

Lacson, an ally of President Benigno Aquino III, fled the country shortly before a Manila regional trial court (RTC) ordered his arrest in January last year in connection with the November 2000 killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito.

He sneaked back into the country a few days after the Court of Appeals ordered the Manila RTC to drop the charges against him.