NAVOTAS Representative Toby Tiangco is pushing Congress to conduct a public hearing in aid of legislation to fast-track the implementation of the arrest warrant against Zaldy Co.
Tiangco filed House Resolution 808, urging the leadership of the House of Representatives to convene the Committee of the Whole to conduct a public inquiry in aid of legislation on the status of the arrest warrant against Co, and to recommend legislative measures, if necessary.
“Hinahanap ba talaga natin si Zaldy Co? Marami ang nagtatanong kung bakit parang wala tayong sense of urgency na hanapin at panagutin ang isang big fish na gaya ni Co,” Tiangco said.
Tiangco said there is a need for clear-cut guidelines for enforcing arrest warrants when a subject is outside Philippine jurisdiction, and cited the conflicting positions of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in implementing Co’s warrant of arrest.
“DILG earlier said DFA is the agency primarily responsible for ensuring that Co will be successfully prosecuted before our Court. The DFA, however, clarified that the enforcement of legal processes against Co involves a ‘whole-of-government approach.’ Ano ba talaga at sino ba dapat ang ahensyang dapat manguna sa mga kasong gaya nito?” Tiangco said.
Tiangco also highlighted the need to determine whether legislative gaps allow individuals with substantial resources to evade legal processes and hide in foreign jurisdictions with which our country has no extradition treaty.
“There appears to be a compelling need to determine whether existing laws sufficiently define institutional cooperation and accountability on the service and execution of warrants and bringing before our jurisdiction politically exposed persons who leave Philippine territory,” Tiangco said.
“The inability to immediately enforce an arrest warrant against a high-profile individual, who is allegedly abroad, raises serious policy questions as to which government agency bears primary responsibility for the execution of an arrest warrant, coordination with foreign jurisdictions, and engagement with international law-enforcement agencies,” he added.
Tiangco said that during the hearing, the following resource persons will be invited: the Department of Justice (DOJ); the Secretary of DILG; the Secretary of DFA; the Head of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI); the Chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP); the Head of Bureau of Immigration and Deportation; and the Ambassador of Portugal to the Philippines.
“Given the magnitude of the alleged flood control anomalies, there is a compelling need for the cooperation and active involvement of multiple agencies to effect legal process to fugitives from justice,” Tiangco said.
“Through this investigation, we hope to provide transparency, inspire public confidence, and promote institutional unity among agencies involved in Co’s arrest,” he added.
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