'Review to guide government ethics'

MANILA, Philippines - The sanctions that will be imposed on officials involved in the bungled Aug. 23 hostage crisis would be adopted as an ethical standard of sorts in government, President Aquino declared yesterday.

“We want the message to be clear, not only for the people involved here but for everybody also: the norms of behavior in the government are the following… That message, I hope, will be transmitted very clearly,” Mr. Aquino said.

Mr. Aquino, keynote speaker at the 10th National Cooperative Summit at the Araneta Coliseum, said the release of the Palace review of the findings and recommendations of the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) was delayed for another week because the work is being untertaken thoroughly.

“The legalese has really been one of the stumbling blocks. The job of my Communications Group is how to make certain provisions of law into a very short sound bite,” he said.

The President is expected to announce today or tomorrow the results of the IIRC report and the officials who would face sanctions over the hostage fiasco.

Mr. Aquino revealed he had a “long discourse” with his lawyers, led by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., regarding the filing of administrative and criminal charges against the officials involved in the hostage fiasco.

“So the legal aspect took a little time, the political dimension (of the report) took also a little time. But more importantly, the messages to be sent should be very clear because there are laws that should be followed,” he said.

There was also the fact that the initial IIRC report made by panel chairperson and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima didn’t make specific violations of law on what charges can possibly be filed against the concerned officials.

Also, there have been conflicting reports in the media where officials close to the President have leaked draft reports regarding the IIRC, some of which point to Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and Undersecretary Rico Puno as getting off the hook, while other reports said otherwise.

De Lima was tasked by the President to conduct a fact-finding probe on the bungled rescue attempt in the Aug. 23 hostage-taking incident in Manila that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead.

The De Lima panel recommended sanctions and charges against Puno, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, former national police chief Jesus Verzosa, other senior police officials, and several broadcast executives and journalists.

Mr. Aquino earlier said he had already ordered an investigation on how copies of the IIRC report have been leaked.

There had been conflicting reports from various sources about supposed factions in the Cabinet, particularly some of the officials who would be facing sanctions according to the IIRC report.

Mr. Aquino nonetheless took the opportunity to justify why his supposed announcement for the IIRC was delayed for another week.

He cited the vagueness of some of the recommendations made by the IIRC as the primary reason for the delay.

On the other hand, critics led by retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz said the delay in the announcement of the IIRC report indicated that Mr. Aquino has lost trust and confidence in De Lima.

“After the DOJ secretary, who is known to be wise, capable and courageous, inquired into the hostage taking event, making necessary evaluation and recommendation, then here comes the Office of the President reviewing the IIRC report, not only reviewing but apparently changing its recommendations, that’s a slap to the Secretary of Justice’s face,” Cruz said.

“It’s so hard to believe that the legal counsel of the President will know more than the DOJ and all its collaborators,” he added

PHIL STAR