Lacson, four senators upset over return of police officer to duty

July 13, 2017

Senator Panfilo Lacson Jr. led the disgust of three other senators in allowing the return of a regional police criminal investigator into the Philippine National Police after a four-month suspension due to his reported involvement on the killing of a Leyte town mayor and an inmate in a sub-provincial jail in Leyte last year,. Lacson, a former head of the PNP, used an expletive to describe his reaction to the return of Superintendent Marvin Marcos to the service. President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he ordered that Marcos be returned to active duty. “It is not even a reinstatement. Rather, it was back-to-duty status after serving his fourt-month suspension order incorporated in a ‘slap-on-the-wrist’ administrative penalty imposed on Marcos by PNP Internal Affairs Service and subsequently approved by Chief PNP (Ronald) de la Rosa. Senator Francis Pangilinan, who also heads the Liberal Party the return ot Marcos to active duty “is quite disturbing considering that the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and the Senate findings point to murder.” “We hope the members of the Senate majority who signed the committee report will close ranks and fulfill its duty to act as a check and balance on the executive branch,” said Pangilinan. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said “ Duterte not only set the murderers free, he now gave back their badges and guns so they could murder again with impunity.” Senator Bam Aquino said: “ The reinstatement of murderous cops is a danger to the Filipino people.” Senator Risa Hontiveros called the return to duty of Marcos  "a clear attempt to obstruct the course of justice" and "tacit approval of extrajudicial killings in the country." Hontiveros said the Senate unanimously recommended the filing of murder charges against the policemen, led by Marcos. DMS