Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero sharply criticized Senator Imee Marcos for ordering the detention of Special Envoy on Transnational Crime Ambassador Markus Lacanilao without securing his required approval.
“For reasons unknown, Senator Imee Marcos appears to have disregarded this longstanding rule or conveniently forgotten it that the approval of the Senate President is not automatic nor ministerial simply because she desires it,” he said yesterday.
Escudero explained that this safeguard exists to prevent abuse of power and to ensure that the rights of all parties are protected.
The Senate President clarified that he did not refuse to sign the contempt order, contrary to what Marcos implied, but the problem lay in the fact that he was not given a chance to review the order before it was announced to the public.
Escudero noted that Marcos had already signed and released the order to the media before he saw a copy, bypassing the necessary process.
“After several hours of Ambassador Lacanilao’s unauthorized detention, I directed his release, both as a matter of regularity and out of humanitarian consideration as his grandfather is to be laid to rest today,” he said.
However, Escudero issued a “show cause order” directing Lacanilao to explain within five days why he should not be held in contempt as originally requested by the panel on foreign relations chairperson.
On Thursday evening, Senator Marcos expressed disappointment at the Senate President for releasing Lacanilao.
“Ambassador Markus Lacanilao has now been released despite being cited in contempt for lying and giving misleading statements on the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte,” the presidential sister said in a statement.
Still, Escudero insisted that Lacanilao was detained without due process and without meeting the legal threshold required in contempt proceedings.
He cited Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo’s concurring opinion in a previous case, which emphasized the need for stricter procedural safeguards when a person is accused of false or evasive testimony.
“I will not allow the Senate nor the Office of the Senate President to be used to further petty partisan interests, especially by those actively seeking re-election in the coming May midterm polls,” Escudero said.
“The Senate is an institution of reason and rule; it is not a tool to be leveraged for propaganda or self-promotion,” he concluded.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Chiz rebukes Imee over ‘unauthorized detention’ of envoy.”
