Imee slams Lacanilao’s 'favored' 2-day detention in Senate

Senator Imee Marcos on Tuesday questioned why Special Envoy on Transnational Crimes Ambassador Markus Lacanilao will only be detained in the Senate for two days, saying the latter was “favored by the powers that be.”

Marcos was reacting to Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s detention order which provided that Lacanilao will “remain in the custody of the Senate for a period not exceeding two days.”

“Lacanilao should have been detained immediately since the rules do not even mention a need for a show-cause order. However, instead of immediate detention, Lacanilao was given 11 days before he was eventually ordered to be detained. In contrast, it took the administration only several hours to arrest and whisk FPRRD out of the country," Marcos said in a statement.

“Furthermore, to add insult to injury, Lacanilao is to be detained for only two days. While ordinary people are locked up until they purge themselves of the contempt, as sanctioned by Section 18, Resolution No. 5, Series of 2010, as amended, Lacanilao is given an ever so gentle slap on the wrist," added Marcos.

"Apparently, the rules only apply to ordinary people and not to people like Lacanilao who is favored by the powers that be.”

GMA News Online sought the comment of Escudero on Marcos’ remarks, but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

Lacanilao was cited in contempt during the April 10 hearing for his “very misleading” answers. He had repeatedly denied knowledge of whether former President Rodrigo Duterte was brought to a competent national judicial authority.

Escudero ordered the special envoy’s release hours later, but issued a show-cause order telling Lacanilao to explain why he should not be cited in contempt.

Lacanilao replied to the show cause order on April 15, but “failed to satisfactorily explain, through a clear statement of facts, why his answers during the hearing were not evasive.”

In a message to reporters, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. said Lacanilao’s medical examination during his detention yielded good results.

“He’s okay naman and based sa last medical check this AM, he remains fine… Wala din naman daw dinadaing si Ambassador per our medical director,” Bantug said.

(He did not complain about anything as per our medical director.) —VAL, GMA Integrated News