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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Saturday, June 10, 2017
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MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) tasked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate politicians suspected to be behind alleged destabilization plots against President Rodrigo Duterte.
In Department Order No. 385, Aguirre ordered NBI to even do “case build-up” against “some senators and other opposition leaders” who may be planning to overthrow Duterte.
In the said order, however, Aguirre did not identify any politician. He has also tasked NBI director Dante Gierran to update him on the progress of investigation.
Aguirre’s order was dated June 7, the same day he erroneously alleged opposition senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Bam Aquino, Magdalo party-list congressman Gary Alejano, and former Aquino administration political adviser Ronald Llamas had a hand in the Maute group’s attack in Marawi City.
Aguirre said the opposition lawmakers met with the Alonto and Lucman clans two weeks before the Marawi clash started. He added that he had a latest photograph from an intelligence source to prove his allegation.
It was later discovered that the photo was taken at the Iloilo International Airport after the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines Visayas Conference in September 2015, and that Senator Aquino was in fact in Metro Manila with a full schedule and not in Marawi City on the date that Aguirre alleged the senator was in Mindanao.
Aguirre retracted his statements and blamed the media for misquoting him. He already apologized to the Alonto and Lucman clans and is also set to apologize publicly to Aquino.
“For the record, I did not say there was a meeting between the two families and some lawmakers prior to the Marawi siege. The said meeting never took place and no member of both families ever met with them,” Aguirre said.
“What I said was that there were reports that some opposition senators and leaders went to Marawi to recruit local politicians and warlords to destabilize the Duterte administration but they were not successful,” he added./PN
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