De Lima: PHL, Taiwan haven't exchanged probe results yet

 News
Jun 272013
 
De Lima: PHL, Taiwan haven't exchanged probe results yet

Almost a month after completing their separate investigations on the May 9 shooting incident in disputed waters off extreme north Luzon, the Philippines and Taiwan have yet to share their probe results with each other. This was confirmed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima when reporters in Manila asked for updates in the Balintang Channel shooting incident that left a Taiwanese fisherman dead. “We have not  given each other a copy of the respective reports kasi ‘pag ire-release, [we will] give prior notice,” the Justice chief said. De Lima said the release of the probe results would be “halos sabay” [almost simultaneous]. “But I haven’t  seen their  report and they haven’t seen ours,” De Lima assured the public. Also, de Lima said they would be following up with the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) so the Philippines can finally get a copy of Taiwan’s probe results. “And if they ask for our copy, we will furnish them simultaneously in public for the release.” De Lima earlier forwarded to President Benigno Aquino the probe results prepared by the National Bureau of Investigation, which conducted weeks of investigation both in Manila and in Taiwan. “I’m waiting the clearance from the President kung puwede nang i-release  ang Taiwan report… Since it’s with the President  already [at] since binabasa na niya iyon, I’m just waiting,” she said. Earlier, De Lima, while at the World Congress Against Death Penalty, confirmed to reporters that criminal and administrative charges have been recommended by the NBI against Read More …

Coast guards to be criminally charged, De Lima confirms

 News
Jun 132013
 
Coast guards to be criminally charged, De Lima confirms

By Christine O. Avendaño Philippine Daily Inquirer 2:52 am | Friday, June 14th, 2013 Justice Secretary Leila de Lima: Confirmation. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday confirmed an Inquirer report that the National Bureau of Investigation had recommended the filing of criminal charges against coast guards involved in the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in northern Philippine waters last month. De Lima also confirmed the Inquirer information that the NBI, which investigated the shooting death of fisherman Hung Shih-chen here and in Taiwan, submitted its report to her on Tuesday. In text messages and a phone patch interview, De Lima, who is in Madrid, Spain, for a conference on capital punishment, said she submitted the NBI report to President Aquino before she left Manila on Tuesday night. She said the NBI recommended criminal and administrative charges against coast guards involved in the shooting of the Taiwanese fishing boat Guan Ta Hsin 28 in the Balintang Channel on May 9. De Lima said she was not sure whether employees of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) were among those recommended for prosecution. The BFAR owns the coastal patrol vessel MCS-3001, but the vessel is manned by Philippine Coast Guard personnel. There were 17 coast guards and two BFAR employees on the MCS-3001 when the shooting happened. Fourteen high-powered rifles were submitted to the NBI for the investigation. De Lima declined to disclose how many personnel had been recommended for charges and on what Read More …

De Lima confirms recommendation to file charges vs PCG

 News
Jun 132013
 
De Lima confirms recommendation to file charges vs PCG

OVER SHOOTING OF TAIWANESE FISHING BOAT By Tetch Torres-TupasINQUIRER.net 1:01 pm | Thursday, June 13th, 2013 Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng’s boat, the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, is checked by Taiwanese officers after arriving at Liuqiu port in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, Saturday, May 11, 2013. Taiwanese boat owner Steven Liao said the damage to the Guang Ta Hsin 28 costs around NT$8 million (P11 million). AP PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has confirmed a recommendation to press charges against some members of the Philippine Coast Guard involved in the shooting incident off Batanes that killed a Taiwanese fisherman. “I confirm that the NBI has recommended the filing of charges against the PCG personnel involved in the incident,” Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said in a text message to INQUIRER.net. The Justice chief is currently in Madrid, Spain to attend the 5th World Congress Against Death Penalty. De Lima said criminal and administrative case will be filed against PCG personnel. No Taiwan pressure She, however, clarified that the findings of the Philippine government was not influenced nor a product of pressure from Taiwan. “There was no influence from Taiwan side. [But] hopefully, the conclusions from both side would jibe or are not that different,” De Lima further said. De Lima, however, declined to give details on what charges will be filed pending clearance from President Benigno Aquino III who already was furnished a copy of the NBI’s findings. Objective evaluation of evidence “It is for his consideration and Read More …

NBI report on Taiwanese fisherman's death now with De Lima

 News
Jun 112013
 
NBI report on Taiwanese fisherman's death now with De Lima

The report of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the May 9 fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters has already been submitted to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. De Lima, however, refused to disclose the contents of the report, saying it will be forwarded immediately to President Benigno Aquino III. “Yes. Might submit it to the President today,” said De Lima in a text message to reporters when asked if the report has already been submitted to her. De Lima had earlier said once she gets a copy of the report, it would be submitted to Aquino first before it will be released to the public. NBI deputy director Virgilio Mendez has earlier confirmed to GMA News Online the transmission of the report to De Lima. “Per my information, it will be delivered now to the DOJ,” Mendez said earlier in the day. Two weeks ago, eight NBI agents flew to Taiwan to conduct their probe on the incident. The team inspected the fishing vessel of the victim and interviewed his companions when the shooting happened. The NBI also interviewed the medico-legal expert that autopsied the victim. The team were also allowed to view the video of the autopsy. A seven-man Taiwanese team also went to the Philippines for a four-day parallel investigation on the incident. The fatal shooting of the 65-year-old fisherman had caused a rift between the Philippines and Taiwan. Both the Philippines and Taiwan insisted that the incident happened within their respective territories. — Read More …

De Lima maintains boat shooting happened in PH territory

 News
Jun 032013
 
De Lima maintains boat shooting happened in PH territory

By Tetch Torres-TupasINQUIRER.net 3:27 pm | Monday, June 3rd, 2013 Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila De Lima on Monday maintained that the shooting of the Taiwanese fisherman last May 9 happened inside Philippine jurisdiction. “Our jurisdiction is clear—the incident happened inside our territory which is why we are conducting an investigation,” De Lima told reporters in an interview Monday. Based on the global positioning system record of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, De Lima said the incident occurred within the Balintang Channel, 43 nautical miles east of Balintang Island which is well within the Philippine territory. “Probably you should ask the Taiwanese government why they are conducting their own investigation. They probably have extra-territorial jurisdiction like if the victim is a Taiwanese or the vessel is registered under the Taiwanese name,” she said. The NBI investigators already arrived from Taiwan and are already wrapping up their investigation. On the other hand, Taiwanese probers also finished their probe after inspecting the Philippine vessel, watching the video of the incident and interviewing the Coast Guard officers who were present during the incident. The question of jurisdiction will be crucial to where the criminally liable parties in the case will be tried. The fisherman’s daughter, Hung Tzu Chien, has already filed a murder complaint against Filipino Coast Guard personnel involved in the fatal shooting. She did not name the respondents in the charges filed with the Pingtung prosecutor’s office Read More …

De Lima hopes swap of PH-Taiwan probers will put closure to boat shooting

 News
May 272013
 
De Lima hopes swap of PH-Taiwan probers will put closure to boat shooting

By Tetch Torres-Tupas INQUIRER.net 5:21 pm | Monday, May 27th, 2013 Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines-Justice Secretary Leila De Lima on Monday said she hopes that the parallel investigation conducted by the Philippines and Taiwan will repair the strained relations between Manila and Taipei. “With the mutual or reciprocal visits of the Philippines and Taiwanese teams, it is expected that their respective separate investigations will be concluded soon and hopefully put closure to the factual issues surrounding the incident,” De Lima said in a statement. “What is being demonstrated is the spirit of cooperation and openness between Philippines and Taiwanese authorities which can contribute to a significant degree, to the restoration of normalcy of PH-Taiwan relations,” she added. With the death of fisherman Hung Shih-cheng last May 9, the country’s economic-cultural relation with Taiwan was strained, putting at risk the Filipino workers in Taiwan. The NBI team is expected to stay in Taiwan for three days to inspect the fishing vessel and interview its crew but subject to adjustment as needed, said NBI Director Nonnatus Rojas. On the other hand, Taiwanese probers are also in the country to conduct ballistic examination and inspect the vessel used by the Philippine Coast Guard. The swap of teams of investigators followed weeks of acrimony over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman. A team of eight Philippine officials including experts from the NBI flew to the island and were promptly whisked away upon arrival at Taoyuan airport in the Read More …

De Lima wants Mancao coddlers unmasked

 News
May 062013
 
De Lima wants Mancao coddlers unmasked

Investigators are currently zeroing in on the coddlers of fugitive murder suspect Cezar Mancao II, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Monday. “I don’t think mag-isa siya (Mancao). May kasama siya [at] may ibang nagpo-protekta sa kaniya. Iyon ngayon ang pinapahanap ko,” De Lima said. De Lima also said they are determining Mancao’s possible real agenda in escaping, among these to put the Department of Justice in bad light and to push for his candidacy for local position in Compostela Valley, his home province. Mancao, a suspect in the high-profile Dacer-Corbito double murder case, escaped from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) compound last Thursday, the same day he was about to be transferred to the Manila City Jail. In various interviews after his escape, Mancao cited fear for his life as reason for his escape. De Lima said Mancao could have another agenda for escaping, although investigators have yet to confirm this. “I hope wala nang ibang agenda. Ang sinasabi niya kaya siya tumakas dahil mamamatay lang siya sa city jail,” De Lima said. “Pero what if kung may mga tao na ibang agenda na somehow maa-access siya?” Sabotage the DOJ De Lima noted the possibility that Mancao’s escape was part of a plan to “sabotage” the DOJ and the NBI. “Ayoko nag-iisip ng ganoon. Pero I also want to think ahead. Sa trabahong ito, hindi puwedeng hindi ka paranoid paminsan-minsan,” she said She said whoever could be coddling Mancao probably wants to “destroy the reputation and put to Read More …

Govt panel identifies Jonas Burgos case as among 'priority' cases for investigation

 News
Apr 182013
 
Govt panel identifies Jonas Burgos case as among 'priority' cases for investigation

The alleged abduction of activist Jonas Burgos was among the 101 “priorities” for investigation identified by an interagency committee tasked by President Benigno Aquino III to monitor cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the country. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who chairs the committee, said Burgos’ case will be among those to be first investigated and monitored by the panel. “Pinresent na rin sa amin sa interagency ‘yung listahan from the technical working group noong priority cases na dapat tutukan o unahin ang pagtutok sa pag-iimbestiga. Meron na po kaming initial list of priority cases for both extralegal killings and enforced disappearance,” De Lima said at a press briefing Thursday at the military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. The justice secretary, however, refused to identify other priority cases, saying the list still has yet to be finalized. Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, both members of the interagency panel created through Administrative Order 35, were also among those who approved the initial list of priority cases during the committee’s meeting on Thursday morning. The Court of Appeals recently implicated a Philippine Army officer, Maj. Harry Baliaga, as responsible for the kidnapping of Burgos. Last Friday, the Supreme Court ordered the military leadership to disclose the whereabouts of the military personnel linked to the case. Burgos, a political activist and son of the late press freedom advocate Jose Burgos, was abducted in a restaurant at the Ever Gotesco Mall along Commonwealth Avenue in Read More …

Ex-Palawan gov Reyes wants De Lima cited for contempt

 News
Apr 152013
 
Ex-Palawan gov Reyes wants De Lima cited for contempt

Former Palawan governor Joel Reyes has asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to cite Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for indirect contempt for her statement regarding a recent ruling clearing him from the killing of Palawan-based broadcaster Gerry Ortega. In his petition, Reyes, through his counsel, accused De Lima of “scandalizing” the CA when she told the media that she thinks Reyes and his camp might employ “foul tactics and illicit means” to get a favorable decision from the appellate court. “Clearly, respondent has crossed the walls of decency and propriety. Her statement, to be sure, does not dwell on the wisdom of the Honorable Court’s decision… Rather, her statement charges the Honorable Court of deciding upon the influence of foul tactics and illicit means… thereby inciting the people’s distrust in the Honorable Court’s ability to resolve case impartially,” the petition read. De Lima, on the other hand, was unperturbed, telling reporters in Manila on Monday that all she wanted was to give Ortega and his family the justice they deserved. “They can sue me all they want but I cannot buckle down in the quest of justice in that particular case,” she said. “I cannot just take it sitting down.” She added she was merely exercising her right to free expression in airing her frustration about the development of the case, particularly about CA resolution. She said she would not be “cowed” by her critics. In the said resolution, a CA division cleared Reyes of murder charges in the Read More …

NBI intensifies manhunt ops vs Rasuman co-accused

 News
Apr 042013
 
NBI intensifies manhunt ops vs Rasuman co-accused

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is stepping up its efforts to locate Cagayon de Oro investment scam ringleader Jachob Rasuman’s co-accused, some of whom are reportedly in Metro Manila. The intensified operations came following the arrest of Rasuman’s wife, Princess Tomawis Rasuman, in Quezon City Wednesday night. “I directed NBI Director Nonnatus Rojas to intensify the manhunt for the other co-acuused of Coco Rasuman kasi wala pa sila. Hindi pa sila nahuhuli,” De Lima told reporters. “Ang balita namin, mukhang dito lang sila (sa Metro Manila) kaya pinapa-intensify ko na iyong manhunt para makuha sila para kumpleto na sila,” said De Lima, insisting that all of the suspects should get arraigned soon. In a counter-affidavit he submitted to the special panel of prosecutors last March, Rasuman asked the DOJ to dismiss the case against him as he denied that he duped supposed investor-complainants, who he said he has never even met before. Rasuman’s camp insisted that syndicated estafa charges should never have been filed, adding that if ever there was a crime, “it’s simple estafa.” Rasuman’s camp also belied accusations he was engaged in a Ponzi scheme, which entices investors to put money in the company in exchange for huge returns in two months. According to Investopedia, a Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investing scam promising high rates of return with little risk to investors. The Ponzi scheme generates returns for older investors by acquiring new investors. Mr. Rasuman claimed he is operating a legitimate business of car trading Read More …

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