Truth body won't take up Aquino-Galman case —Palace

As its 27th anniversary draws near, the Aquino-Galman double murder case will remain off-limits to the new truth body created by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, Malacañang said Saturday. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Executive Order No. 1, which created the Truth Commission, is mandated only to investigate and act on reports of corruption under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration. “Sa mandato ng EO 1, ang iimbestigahan ang huling siyam na taon. Kung ganoon, di kasama ang Aquino-Galman case sa mandato nila, ang concentration ang last nine years (The mandate of EO 1 is only to investigate irregularities in the last nine years. If this is so, the Aquino-Galman case is not in its mandate)," Lacierda said on government-run dzRB radio. Besides, he said any new evidence about the Aquino-Galman case can still be brought to the Department of Justice (DOJ). President Aquino’s father, former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino Jr., was gunned down shortly after arriving at the Manila International Airport on Aug. 21, 1983. Government forces shot dead his supposed killer, Rolando Galman, but speculations persist that Galman was also a victim, as he was merely the fall guy in the crime. The 1983 assassination triggered a series of events that led to the ouster of then President Ferdinand Marcos, and catapulted Aquino’s late mother Corazon "Cory" to the presidency in 1986. “If there is any new evidence madiskubre sa Aquino-Galman case pwede idulog sa DOJ, mas mabuti doon ilagay .(If there is any new evidence to be discovered in the Aquino-Galman case, it can be brought to the DOJ. It is better that way, if there is any new evidence)," Lacierda said. Meanwhile, Lacierda chided critics of EO 1 for questioning its constitutionality, saying these criticisms appeared to be out of unfounded fear. He also brushed aside claims that the Aquino administration has been selective in its pursuit for justice, which singles out his predecessor Gloria Arroyo. “It is found in the EO, it was stated in EO... to really put a closure to all controversies surrounding the Arroyo administration," he said. EO 1 cites the need for a separate body dedicated solely to investigating and finding out the truth concerning the reported cases of graft and corruption "during the previous administration." Section 1 of the Executive Order states: "There is hereby created the (Philippine Truth Commission), which shall primarily seek and find the truth on, and toward this end, investigate reports of graft and corruption of such scale and magnitude that shock and offend the moral and ethical sensibilities of the people, committed by public officers and employees, their co-principals, accomplices and accessories from the private sector, if any, during the previous administration; and thereafter recommend the appropriate action or measure to be taken thereon to ensure that the full measure of justice shall be served without fear or favor." For full text of Executive Order No. 1, click here. — LBG, HGS, GMANews.TV