RETIRED policeman Arturo Lascañas, who earlier claimed being a handler of the Davao Death Squad and implicated President Rodrigo Duterte behind the executions, is now in the International Police Organization (Interpol) Red Notice.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Southeastern Mindanao director lawyer Arnold Rosales on Wednesday, July 12, confirmed the pronouncement and said that he can be arrested anytime soon.
A Red Notice, according to the Interpol, is a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition. Once arrested, the accused is transferred from one state or country to another state or country that seeks to place the accused on trial.
The notice is issued by an Interpol General Secretariat through a request of a member country or an international tribunal based on a valid national arrest warrant. A Red Notice is issued against someone sought to serve a sentence in their country.
"Once Lascañas will be sighted anywhere, the Interpol will coordinate immediately with the Philippine Government," Rosales said, adding that the Interpol cannot compel any member country to arrest the accused who is on Red Notice.
It has been reported that Lascañas left the country to Singapore on April 8, following threats and fear that a complaint will be filed against him. The NBI-Southeastern Mindanao, however, cannot confirm whether he is still in Singapore.
READ: Lascañas fails to return
Lascañas was charged with murder and two counts of frustrated murder following the death of radio announcer Juan "Jun" Pala Jr., who was gunned down on September 6, 2003, while he was on his way home to a village in Davao City.
The three separate cases filed against him were raffled off to Regional Trial Court Branch 10 dated May 29. The three separate cases were filed on the same date and were received by the court on June 1.
In a five-page resolution that was approved May 25, stated that the Davao City Prosecutor's Office found probable cause to charge Lascañas, former DCPO member, following the complaint filed by the wife of the victim, Louise Aguirre Pala.
A subpoena was issued by the prosecutor's office on March 29 for the accused to submit his counter-affidavit and countervailing evidence but the return of the subpoena showed Lascañas is no longer residing at the same address.