RANSACKING OR LOCKDOWN OF ROBREDO’S OFFICES?
The Senate will jump into the fray on unravelling the mystery behind the presence of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Rico Puno along with some police officials a day after his superior Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo was declared missing after a plane crash last August 18 off Masbate including the equally unusual evasiveness of the Palace and President Aquino on the issue.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said in a television interview that she will seek an inquiry into the incident which was reported as a ransacking of the offices of Robredo but which a police official who accompanied Puno said was a lockdown of the DILG chief’s place of work on orders of President Aquino.
Santiago said the Senate wanted to know if Puno and his group were attempting to retrieve sensitive documents from Robredo’s condominium.
“Why was Puno there? What was he looking for? Why was it totally necessary to grab hold of the documents?” Santiago said.
“Why? Was that normal? Robredo’s family was grieving then somebody would rush to Robredo’s condominium? What on earth compelled him to go there?,” were questions Santiago said she wanted answered in the inquiry.
A reliable source told The Tribune the other day that incoming Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas’ camp was instigating a smear campaign against Puno who Roxas wanted removed from the DILG.
The source confirmed it was Aquino who had asked Puno to secure the documents in Robredo’s condominium unit.
“It’s all a Mar camp ‘smear job’ against Puno to get him out of his post. Mar himself tried to oust him immediately after Aquino announced that he had appointed Roxas to the DILG post, with the yet to be confirmed DILG chief saying that all the staffers and officers of Robredo have been asked to resign, including Puno,” the source added.
Santiago said if indeed it were Aquino who ordered Puno to secure the Robredo’s premises, Malacañang remained strangely evasive on the issue.
“There is a sinister conspiracy of silence which could be an indication of infighting between factions in Malacañang,” she said.
National Police Commission (Napolcom) vice-chairman Edgardo Escueta said in a separate TV interview that Puno was just following Aquino’s orders to secure Robredo’s papers and equipment.
“The reason they came on that day was to lock up the office on the orders of our President,” he said.
Aquino’s spokesman Abigail Valte when asked on the claim of Escueta said: “I have no information on that.”
One of the police officers involved in the alleged raid on Robredo’s condo unit and office denied any ransacking happened during the visit of Puno and his group.
Police Supt. Oliver Tanseco also said Puno’s group acted on the instructions of Aquino. Tanseco said a meeting was held in Camp Crame on the night Robredo’s plane crashed that was attended by Puno, Philippine National Police chief Dir. Gen. Nicanor Bartolome, DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero and several members of Robredo’s management team.
During the meeting, Tanseco claimed he heard Puno receive a call from Aquino, who ordered a lockdown on Robredo’s condo and offices.
Tanseco said a lockdown was ordered to ensure that confidential documents are secured and Robredo’s belongings will not be lost.
He confirmed that he accompanied Puno to Robredo’s condo on Tomas Morato on Aug, 19, but stressed that they were merely acting on the President’s orders.
Tanseco also said he contacted Robredo’s assistant, lawyer Nina Rances, not to seek permission to enter the unit, but to inform her that policemen will be deployed to secure the unit.
He added that the group then visited the Napolcom headquarters, but they did not enter Robredo’s office.
Tanseco said Puno contacted Escueta to inform him of the President’s orders.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) later on secured the classified documents kept by Robredo inside his condo unit.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said she personally picked up the “personal and official documents,” to act on a request of Robredo’s wife, lawyer Maria Leonor Robredo.
Tanseco said Aquino gave the order for Puno to secure Rebredo’s offices on the night of Aug. 18, the day Robredo’s plane crashed off Masbate, to secure Robredo’s DILG offices at the Francisco Gold Condominium in Quezon City and the Napolcom in Makati City.
Tanseco belied media reports Puno rushed to Robredo’s offices and residence to take out sensitive documents. Tanseco was named in the report as one of those who accompanied Puno during the alleged raid.
Subsequently the report cited sources and expounded that Puno himself was the target of an investigation that Robredo started prior to the crash of the aircraft he was on.
Tanseco said that immediately on the next day, Puno, Tanseco and officials from the Quezon City Police Department and the Office of Internal Service arrived at the DILG office to perform the lockdown.
The group took photos of Robredo’s office and secured the door and drawers with plastic tapes, according to Tanseco.
“It was very fast then we all went out. We left the place right away. I will attest that no one took anything, nor added anything. At no time were we were alone in doing that,” Tanseco said.
The group of Puno then went to Robredo’s condominium unit at Lansbergh Place in Quezon City and also secured the area.
Tanseco said he was the only one who went up to Robredo’s unit along with the security guard. Puno did not enter Robredo’s unit. Tanseco said he spoke to Robredo’s househelp, a certain Alice and gave her instructions.
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