Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson cautioned on Saturday that the Commission on Appointments (CA) could face criminal liability if it alters the official record of Senate Deputy Minority Leader Rodante Marcoleta regarding his remarks on the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).
Marcoleta earlier requested that his statements during the CA’s February 4 hearing be removed or revised, insisting that the minutes should “accurately and faithfully” reflect what was said.
The neophyte senator had drawn criticism after claiming that the KIG was outside the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), remarks that critics described as “defeatist.”
Lacson warned that altering the official record could carry serious legal consequences.
“Falsification of legislative records is punishable under Article 170 of the Revised Penal Code. That is why we must carefully study the legal implications. As of now, Marcoleta’s motion to amend his remarks is still pending,” he said in a radio interview.
He added that he had already raised the issue with Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who chairs the Commission on Appointments.
“We must be careful lest we be charged with falsification of legislative records and be implicated as co-conspirators because we approved the amendment,” Lacson said.
The senator also noted that the issue was further complicated by a resolution from the municipal council of Kalayaan, Palawan seeking to expunge Marcoleta’s remarks from the CA record.
“No less than the people of Kalayaan municipality have aired their sentiments to remove his remarks from records. That is in page 22 of the journal, which I bookmarked. We must consider the resolution of the Sangguniang Bayan of Kalayaan,” he said.
Marcoleta and Lacson had previously clashed over the issue during plenary debates. Marcoleta maintained that four features of the Kalayaan Island Group occupied by the Philippines are located beyond the country’s EEZ.
Lacson, however, said the position was “unsettling,” noting that it echoed the narrative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.