By Gloria Jane Baylon
MANILA, Aug. 21 (PNA) — Fugitive Senator Panfilo Lacson has had his regular and diplomatic passports invalidated by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), it was announced Friday.
DFA made it clear that its move was executed after giving the matter due course, including inviting the senator or his counsel on August 12 to first give his views after the Department received the court order and the requests for cancellation from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the families of his alleged victims.
Lacson has not responded up to this date, DFA added, leaving it with no choice but to go ahead with the cancellation.
The cancellation was based on the July 23 order of Branch 18 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Manila “to take the proper steps…in accordance with law,†and the written requests from the DOJ and the families of the victims of Lacson's alleged crimes.
The Court had directed both the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the DFA Secretary “to take the proper steps in order that Senator Lacson, who is alleged to be out of the country, may be brought back to the Philippines pursuant to the warrant of arrest issued by this court so that he can be dealt with in accordance with law...."
The next-of-kin of the late high-profile publicist Salvador Dacer and his personal driver, Emmanuel Corbito, asked for the cancellation of Lacson's passports through their legal counsels, the Ongkiko Manhit Custodio and Acorda Law Offices.
Earlier, on February 9, then DOJ Secretary Agnes Devanadera wrote the DFA to have the passports cancelled. In that letter, Devanadera wrote: "...at the time he left the country, Senator Lacson knew about the impending filing of criminal charges against him for the murder of Salvador "Bubby" Dacer, a public relations practitioner, and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito.
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