Lacson dares De Lima to move vs Arroyos

Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Thursday dared Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to initiate legal moves against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and other members of the Arroyo family facing legal troubles in exchange for her confirmation. “You know, I have a continuing objection against her confirmation," Lacson told reporters at a weekly forum at the Senate. “And this much I can tell you. The moment she causes the issuance of an arrest warrant against any of the Arroyos then I will withdraw my objection, baka ako pa mag-move for her confirmation." Mrs. Arroyo, now a congresswoman representing the second district of Pampanga, is facing at least three plunder suits pending before Department of Justice (DOJ). Her son, Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey" Arroyo, has a pending tax evasion case before the department. Mrs. Arroyo has already been placed on the Immigration watch list upon orders from De Lima. De Lima was critical of Lacson when he was evading arrest for his alleged involvement in the Nov. 2000 killings of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito. She even ordered a reinvestigation after the Court of Appeals junked the case. Lacson had earlier said he will grill De Lima over her statements that he said tend to “undermine" President Benigno Aquino III. In response to Lacson, De Lima, who headed the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) under the Arroyo administration, said her duty is “not to please certain people" but to follow due process and the rule of law. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, De Lima said she, as Justice secretary, cannot meddle into the preliminary investigation of criminal complaints filed with her department. Under a preliminary probe, state prosecutors determine if there is probable cause to bring the case to court and hold the respondents for trial. De Lima also described as “unfair" criticisms that the DOJ is not doing enough. “It’s unfair to be accusing us we’re not acting at all." Lacson, meanwhile, said he will support De Lima’s confirmation if she finally takes action against the Arroyo family. “Don’t you think we should all take her to task on this matter? Walang nangyayari eh. Di naman maso-solve ang problema sa press release. Maso-solve ang problema pag nagtrabaho ang isang Cabinet secretary. May katwiran si Sen. Trillanes dapat kalampagin... bakit walang file na kaso against the Arroyos or their cohorts?" he said. Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV had earlier asked De Lima to resign, saying that she was better at holding press conferences than performing her job. “It's been 14 months wala siyang ginagawa, araw-araw may presscon siya. Parang maraming ginagawa pero ang mga mas importanteng gawin di niya ginagawa," said Lacson. - with Sophia Dedace/KBK, GMA News