Sen. Imee Marcos and Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero. Photo: Senate of the Philippines / Facebook
MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Imee Marcos slammed Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s move of releasing detained Special Envoy on Transnational Crimes Marcus Lacanilao after the foreign relations committee cited him in contempt for supposedly lying under oath.
Marcos on Thursday cited Lacanilao in contempt for repeatedly saying he “do[es] not know” that former President Rodrigo Duterte was not accorded access to a competent national judicial authority at the time of his arrest on March 11 before being bundled onto a plane off to The Hague, Netherlands.
Lacanilao said his task was to oversee the arrest. He was also among those who accompanied the former president from the time of his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Hong Kong until he was brought to Villamor Air Base and flown all the way to the Hague.
His presence in all of it is the argument upheld by Marcos and Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa as to why Lacanilao can not possibly “not know” of the 80-year-old former leader not having been brought to a local court as required by the Rome Statute.
In a statement released shortly after the third hearing on the arrest of the former president, Marcos denounced Escudero’s supposed refusal to sign Lacanilao’s contempt order as had happened in previous subpoenas for resource persons in the probe.
“This time, he went even further – he ordered Lacanilao’s release in spite of the ambassador’s blatant and repeated lies before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,” Marcos said.
“This isn’t just disappointing, it’s dangerous,” Marcos said.
“When the Senate’s authority is ignored this openly? What’s the point of investigations? What’s the point of truth?” Marcos said.
Marcos dismissed the release as “a terrible precedent – and it won’t be the last.”
Chiz to Imee: Don’t use Senate for personal political agenda
Escudero quickly answered Marcos and denied refusing to sign the contempt order because the committee chair had already released it to the media before he could even get a copy.
He also reminded Marcos that the power to effect a contempt order is subject to the approval of the Senate President as stated in its rules which “for unknown reasons” Escudero said, seemed to have been “disregarded” or “conveniently forgotten” by the senator.
Escudero said Lacanilao was subjected to an “unauthorized detention” void of due process hence his order for the latter’s release.
He then issued a warning to reelectionist senators that he will not allow the Senate or the Office of the Senate President to be used to “further petty partisan interests.”
Escudero made a direct call to Marcos to not use the Senate for partisan politics.
“I urge Senator Marcos to refrain from using the Senate as a platform for her own personal political objectives and instead use her name, title and influence as a bridge toward unity, not a wedge for division,” said Escudero.
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Republika News 
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