MALACAÑANG maintained a hands-off stance Saturday on the arrest of two former police officials in the US for the killing of PR man Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in 2000.

Presidential Management Staff (PMS) head Cerge Remonde said they are leaving the matter to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is handling the case of former police Senior Superintendents Cesar Mancao and Glenn Dumlao.

What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers

"That is a DOJ case and a DOJ matter. Let them do their job and that is their job," Remonde said.

According to him, the Palace would rather focus on economic programs to soften the impact of the global economic meltdown on the Filipino people.

"Here in Malacañang we'll focus on programs for our people," he stressed.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. said Mancao and Dumlao may be entitled to question their arrest and deportation to the Philippines.

"We are not very familiar with their procedures there. They are in the custody of US authorities, we expect their deportation soon but it will depend on whether Mancao and Dumlao will contest it," he said.

On Friday, Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said the two former police officials were taken into custody following an extradition request from the Philippine government.

Blancaflor said Mancao is being held in Florida while Dumlao is being held in New York.

Gonzalez said the US government is now checking if there are pending cases against the two in the US.

He said that should the two be deported, they will be turned over to the Bureau of Immigration, to the National Bureau of Investigation, then surrendered to the court. (JMR/Sunnex)

(November 23, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.