QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News) — Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre on Thursday, June 15, said that he would send a letter to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, seeking the urgent cancellation of the passport of Arturo Lascañas due to his alleged lack of intention to return to the country to face the charges against him.
”Since he is abroad and since there is no indication that he will return, we are constrained to request the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel his Philippine passport,” Aguirre said in a statement.
“I will be formalizing a request with (Cayetano) of the DFA for the immediate cancellation of the passport of (Lascañas),” Aguirre added.
The Davao City Regional Trial Court on June 1 issued an arrest warrant for Lascañas after the Davao City Prosecutor’s Office found probable cause for the criminal charges filed against him over the two attempts on Jun Pala’s life, and his killing in September 2003.
”If he believes in his innocence then he should welcome his arrest as chance for him to clear his name and get on with his life. However, if he is guilty, we cannot tolerate his continuing flight,” he explained noted.
”As it is said, when a crime goes unpunished, the world is unbalanced and the heavens will look down on us in shame. We cannot allow it. We will be remiss in our duty. We are equally guilty if we do so,” Aguirre noted.
Lascañas went to Singapore last April 8 and has yet to return to the Philippines.
It can be remembered that Lascañas in a Senate hearing said that he was the team leader of the alleged Davao Death Squad that reportedly killed a journalist when President Rodrigo Duterte was then Davao City mayor.