Palace not keen on probe over 'leak' of IIRC report

(Updated 5:28 p.m.) While President Benigno Aquino III is aware of the problem, Malacañang is not too keen on investigating an alleged leak of parts of the findings of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) on the Aug. 23 Manila hostage tragedy. "There is no probe of the alleged leakage of the IIRC reports and conclusions," Presidential Communications Operations head Herminio Coloma said on Saturday, adding that he wished to clarify a statement he made in an interview over government-run dzRB earlier in the day. While IIRC head Justice secretary Leila De Lima's concern over the leak was valid, Malacañang's priority is to complete the review by its legal team in time for the President's return from his US trip on Tuesday, Coloma explained in a texted message to reporters. President Aquino had tasked Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and chief presidential legal counsel Eduardo de Mesa to review the IIRC’s initial report. Aquino, who made public the contents of the initial report, said he expects Ochoa and De Mesa to give him their recommendations when he returns from the United States on Tuesday. Earlier, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who chairs the IIRC, said she will contact Aquino over the leakage of some parts of the IIRC report, including the recommendations. Reports quoted De Lima as saying Aquino only authorized the uploading online of the first 60 pages of the report, but not the parts on conclusions and accountabilities. Leak did not come from Palace Also during an interview aired over dzRB on Saturday, deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said that Aquino is likely aware of the leak, saying Malacañang has been sending him news updates regularly. So far, she said, Aquino has not given instructions to investigate the leak. “For our part we have been continually sending the president news updates, what has been happening here in Manila. So I believe the president is aware of it," she said. “Ang instructions ni pangulo (The president’s instructions), he made it very clear he wants the executive secretary and chief presidential legal counsel to review the report," she said. Valte also insisted the leak did not come from the Palace because it has only two copies of the IIRC report, one of which Aquino gave to Ochoa. The other copy is with De Mesa. “Where it [leaked copy] came from is anybody’s guess," she said. IIRC report not to be made public, for now Valte also said that the Palace officials tasked with the review have until Tuesday to do their job and cannot attend to “other issues" about the report. “Given very little time, I think the executive secretary would concentrate on the review rather than other issues cropping up in connection to the (Incident Investigation and Review Committee’s) recommendation," Valte said. Valte also said there are no plans to make public the full IIRC report for now. “As of the moment we have no instructions from the president. What the president wants is the full report side by side with recommendations from the executive secretary, will be revealed at the proper time," she said. “I think on the part of ES Ochoa, he has been given very little time to go over the actual IIRC report. Paalala natin sa lahat ng kababayan na ang IIRC report hindi lang siya 83 pages. Marami siyang ire-review pa. (We remind the public that the IIRC report is not just 83 pages. He still has a lot to review.) There are 10 volumes of annexes," Valte said.— LBG/JV, GMANews.TV