Palace on Lacson's use of fake passport: It's up to DFA

Manila, Philippines - It’s up to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to decide how to deal with Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s use of a “fake and manufactured passport” in evading arrest for his alleged role in the murders of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito more than a decade ago, Malacañang said yesterday.

“We will leave that up to the DFA how they want to pursue that particular matter because it was the DFA who issued that statement. We will have to see what will be the course of action of the foreign affairs department,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

But in a separate press briefing, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said it’s the Department of Justice (DOJ) which should investigate the matter.

“It’s out of the hands of DFA. The ball is in DOJ’s court,” Hernandez told reporters.

Apparently unaware of Hernandez’s declaration, Valte said the allegation concerning Lacson’s passport is within the jurisdiction of the DFA because it involves authenticity of travel documents.

“I’m not aware of any investigation on that matter because, again, it is entirely up to the DFA if they will coordinate on this particular matter with the Department of Justice,” she said.

Lacson surfaced last March after more than a year in hiding following the issuance of a warrant for his arrest for the murders.

In August 2010, the DFA announced the cancellation of the regular and diplomatic passports of Lacson, on orders from a Manila court and upon request from the DOJ.

Lacson’s colleague, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago – who was immigration commissioner in the late ’80s – expressed belief that he had used a fake passport.

“We have some of the best forgers in this country. So it’s possible that (Lacson) might have used a false passport,” she said. “Remember when I was a commissioner? One of my first revelations was the Philippines was the fake passport capital of the world,” she said.

“I would say this is a problem of law enforcement for the bureau,” Santiago said.

She said Lacson cannot be forced to reveal who his coddlers were “because he has a right against self-incrimination.”

“Under the Constitution, it would seem that he’s the accused, not just a mere witness,” she said.

Felipe Cariño, executive director of the DFA’s Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA), disclosed that the original copy of the one-way travel document presented by Lacson when he arrived on March 26 at the Mactan airport in Cebu was still with the agency.

The authentic document bearing the same number as Lacson’s travel document was never released by the DFA-OCA, Cariño clarified.

Thus, the travel document used by Lacson was “fake and manufactured as the number corresponding to that is still intact,” he said.

But Lacson insisted his travel papers were authentic.

“The travel document that I used is still with me. I have no doubt it is authentic. It was issued by a consul assigned to the country where I exited to go back to our country,” he said.  – With Pia Lee-Brago