The Department of Foreign Affairs may grant the request of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd to cancel the passport of retired police officer Arturo Lascañas provided he is declared by the secretary as a fugitive from justice. Aguirre yesterday said he would ask Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano to cancel the passport of Lascañas after he ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to hunt the self-confessed triggerman allegedly behind the killing of the late journalist Jun Pala in 2003. Lascañas claimed he was a triggerman of the “Davao Death Squad” allegedly formed by Rodrigo Duterte when he was mayor of Davao City. “Since he is abroad and since there is no indication that he will return, we are constrained to request the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel his Philippine Passport,” Aguirre said in a statement. “I will be formalizing a request with Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano of DFA for the immediate cancellation of the passport of Mr. Lascañas.

Source: Manila Times June 15, 2017 16:07 UTC