De Lima will not insist on criminal raps vs officials in hostage tragedy

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is not inclined to urge President Benigno Aquino III to reverse his earlier decision not to press criminal charges against the officials held administratively liable for the August 23, 2010 hostage tragedy in Manila. In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, De Lima said she will no longer insist that the President adopt the recommendations of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC), which wanted the initiation of criminal cases against officials like Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno. “Such recommendations have been passed upon already by the presidential team tasked to review the IIRC report and acted upon by the President. It would be foolhardy on our part to so insist as it would be out of line," said De Lima. The Justice chief made the statement two days after meeting with a delegation from Hong Kong, composed of a survivor in the hostage fiasco, relatives of a victim, a lawyer for two of the injured survivors, and a legislator. The Hong Kong residents made four demands: the criminal prosecution of the officials involved in the bungled rescue of hostages, compensation, the implementation of reforms, and an apology from President Aquino. But De Lima said that IIRC has already been dismantled. Thus, the recommendation on the filing of criminal charges can no longer be carried out. The IIRC, which De Lima headed, looked into the liabilities of the officials involved in the resolution of the hostage crisis on August 23 in Manila last year. Eight tourists from Hong Kong died in the hands of their captor, police Chief Inspector Rolando Mendoza, who was himself killed by responding policemen when he began his shooting frenzy. The IIRC's recommendations were not completely adopted by the President's legal team. Lim was cleared of criminal liability while officials like Puno, Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno and then Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa were absolved. It can be recalled that Malacañang's reversal of some of the IIRC's recommendations on the persons to be criminally sanctioned almost caused De Lima's resignation last year. De Lima said leaving her post was among her options because of her “difference in opinion with the President." But she opted to stay after considering that she and Aquino do not have differences in policies. - Sophia Dedace/KBK, GMA News