DOJ gives updates on Teodoro, 2 deadly school incidents
Usec. Ian Norman Dato told reporters on the current status of the three cases the Department of Justice is handling. Alvin Murcia
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Usec. Ian Norman Dato told reporters on the current status of the three cases the Department of Justice is handling. Alvin Murcia
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday gave updates on three criminal cases involving a congressman facing sexual offense charges and firearm owners whose weapons were allegedly accessed by minors and used in separate deadly school shootings in Tacloban and Zamboanga cities.
Justice Undersecretary Ian Norman Dato said the Office of the City Prosecutor of Tacloban City recommended on 20 August the filing of charges against Police Staff Sgt. Arla Ray Pacencia for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and physical injuries.
Pacencia’s service firearm was allegedly taken by her 14-year-old nephew and used in the 22 June shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City.
The information will be filed before the Family Court of the Regional Trial Court in Tacloban City, Dato said.
The shooting involved two minors, aged 14 and 15, and left three students dead and 20 others injured. One of the minors allegedly used Pacencia’s firearm in the attack.
The recommendation followed a preliminary investigation into a complaint filed by parents and students of San Jose National High School.
The case has raised questions over the responsibility of firearm owners to properly secure their weapons, particularly after authorities determined that the service firearm had been accessed by a minor.
The DOJ also confirmed that five criminal cases were filed against Marikina 1st District Rep. Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro on 18 August.
The cases consist of four counts of rape through sexual assault and one count of acts of lasciviousness involving two female police officers who previously served as Teodoro’s security personnel.
The cases were filed before courts in Marikina City.
Dato stressed that Teodoro remains entitled to the presumption of innocence and that the filing of the cases means prosecutors have completed their evaluation, with the cases now proceeding before the courts.
“It just means that the prosecutorial action, the prosecutorial evaluation has been done, and it is now up to the court to proceed as a matter of course based on the rules of court,” Dato said.
Teodoro has denied the allegations, with his camp questioning the DOJ’s findings and maintaining that there was insufficient basis to prosecute him.
In a third development, the DOJ confirmed that the Office of the City Prosecutor of Zamboanga City received a complaint against the registered owner of firearms allegedly used in the 18 August shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University.
The respondent is the father of the teenage gunman and a Bureau of Customs official whose firearms were allegedly accessed by his son and used in the attack. He has since been relieved from his post pending investigation.
The DOJ said the complaint was undergoing evaluation at the time of its briefing and that the respondent would be given an opportunity to submit a response before prosecutors determine whether charges should proceed.
The Philippine National Police subsequently announced that it had completed its investigation and filed a complaint for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injury against the registered firearm owner and a school security personnel.
Investigators said lapses in firearm safekeeping and accountability allowed unauthorized access to the weapons, while deficiencies in the school’s security procedures contributed to the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The 18 August shooting left a student and the teenage gunman dead.
Investigators said they found no evidence that the attack involved a conspiracy with any group, organization or other individuals. They also found no established school-related or personal grievance that could sufficiently explain the shooting.
Police, however, identified prior preparation and exposure to violent online material among the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The three cases remain subject to the appropriate judicial and prosecutorial proceedings, with the respondents entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence.
