Senate Deputy Minority Leader Rodante Marcoleta on Thursday challenged the appointment of Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao as Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief during the budget deliberation of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
In the November 27 hearing, Marcoleta directly asked whether Lacanilao’s appointment was a “reward” for accompanying former President Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague, Netherlands.
“Dahil ba kayo po ay inihatid n’yo ang dating Pangulong Duterte sa The Hague, Ito po ba ang kabayaran, Mr. President? Ito ba’y premyo?” Marcoleta asked, noting his intention to clear public doubts.
“Kasi kailangan nating ma-disabuse po ang pagdududa ng mga kababayan natin. Hindi naman po kayo ang dapat maghatid sa kaniya roon, e.”
According to Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito, Lacanilao himself had earlier confirmed he was part of Duterte’s entourage.
Marcoleta pressed further, questioning whether Lacanilao was “authorize” at the time to accompany the former president.
“Ang tinatanong po, kayo po ba ang authorize na dapat sumama na maghatid sa hindi tamang pagkakahatid sa dating pangulo. And what authority did you accompany the former president to The Hague, Netherlands?” he asked, even adding: “Does he mean, Mr. President, he’s the local counterpart of the Interpol in the Philippines?”
He argued that Lacanilao was not above the Philippine Center for Transnational Crimes (PCTC).
“The PCTC is the Philippine Center for Transnational Crimes. Kaya hindi po totoo na he’s on top of transnational crime. Kayo po ay special envoy but the local counterpart of the Interpol is PCTC,” Marcoleta said.
“It should have been the director of the PCTC who should have accompanied the former president even if we assume that was regular.”
Ejercito defended Lacanilao, saying he was head of the Office of the Special Envoy on Transnational Crime, under which the PCTC operates, making him authorized to accompany Duterte.
Marcoleta then requested documents to prove Lacanilao’s claim, while Ejercito explained that the papers were with the Office of the Executive Secretary.