Aquino orders DOJ to probe gang-rape of nurse

Concerned about the possible involvement of scions of influential families in the crime, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the gang-rape of a volunteer nurse in Maguindanao last month. In an interview on dzRH radio on Wednesday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Aquino gave her the order previous day when they attended ceremonies marking World Teachers' Day in Pasig City. "Leila, tutukan mo ang gang-rape case sa Maguindanao. Allegedly, influential families ang ibang mga suspects doon (Leila, keep an eye on the gang-rape case in Maguindanao. Allegedly, scions of influential families are involved in the case)," de Lima recalled Aquino telling her. Before Aquino gave the order, De Lima said she already ordered National Bureau of Investigation Director Magtanggol Gatdula to start a probe on the case. De Lima also said she will personally look into the case by going to Maguindanao on Friday, to conduct a case conference. "Since may personal na directive sa akin si presidente I intend to go there actually this Friday to conduct a case conference (Since there is a personal directive from the president, I intend to go there this Friday to conduct a case conference)," she said.

On the other hand, De Lima chided Philippine National Police chief Director General Raul Bacalzo for claiming the case is solved after one of the suspects surfaced. She said it is possible the suspect who admitted to the crime is part of a ploy to throw investigators off the scent of the perpetrators. "Isa pa nga yan, mga ganyang developments we should take it with a grain of salt. Kailangan kinikilatis ang legitimacy ng witness na yan, biglang may umamin tapos parang di na ngayon kasama ang anim na suspects," she said. (We should take these developments with a grain of salt. We should take a second look at the legitimacy of the witness because initially six were implicated in the incident.) "Talagang tututukan ko, alamin ko anong klaseng confession ang binigay niya, baka just to really divert or just to create confusion (I want to see his confession, to see if it was meant to divert or create confusion)," she added. She said Bacalzo should "not be making conclusions," referring to his claim that the incident is 100 percent solved. "Dapat maghinay-hinay siya ... hindi maganda we prosecute the wrong guy and set free the guilty ones (Bacalzo should go slow in issuing statements. It will not be good if we prosecute the wrong guy and set free the guilty ones)," she said. – VVP, GMANews.TV