Lascañas charged with murder raps over killing of journalist Jun Pala 

Government prosecutors have slapped murder and frustrated murder charges against retired policeman Arturo Lascañas in connection with the attacks that led to the death of broadcaster Juan Porras "Jun" Pala in 2003.

Filed with the Davao City Regional Trial Court on June 1, the cases stemmed from the two attempts on Pala's life in June 2002 and April 2003, respectively, and his assassination on September 6, 2003.

The cases were filed after the Davao City Prosecutor's Office on May 25 found probable cause to take Lascañas to court.

Lascañas, who left the country on April 8, is also facing a probe by the National Bureau of Investigation over his claims about the vigilante group Davao Death Squad, of which he claims to be a team leader.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the scope of the investigation was Lascañas' testimony before a Senate inquiry on March 6 where he claimed that the killings attributed to the DDS were sanctioned by then-Davao City mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte.

Lascañas also claimed during the Senate inquiry that the contract for Pala's murder amounted to P3 million, which was divided by those who took part in the operation.

The former policeman said Duterte gave him additional P1 million as reward money for the successful hit of Pala, a known critic of Duterte.

Lascañas had previously denied the existence of the DDS in a Senate inquiry in October last year but said he was forced to do so out of fear for his security and his family's.

He had left the country as he expressed fears of being locked up in jail or killed if he returns home.

Meanwhile, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV accused the Duterte administration of harassment and abuse of authority over the filing of charges against Lascañas.

“This is a clear case of legal harassment and abuse of authority by the Duterte administration, meant to silence Lascañas and prevent him from testifying against Duterte in any legal forum,” Trillanes said in a statement.

“After a hearing conducted by the Senate on Lascañas' admissions, Duterte allies were quick to dismiss his testimony and conclude that he is not credible. And now, the Davao City prosecutor's office is filing charges against him based on that same testimony,” Trillanes, who has been helping provide security for Lascañas, said.

Trillanes said that if the Davao prosecutors who filed the charges against Lascañas relied on his testimony before the Senate, then the co-conspirators should also be charged as well.

"Worse, the people behind this did not even allow the case to go through due process by not letting Lascañas submit his counter affidavit allegedly because of returned subpoenas,” the senator noted. —with Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/ALG, GMA News