Face probe, Velasco urged

Malacañang on Wednesday urged former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco to face investigators and answer allegations linking him to multimillion-peso cash deliveries after authorities confirmed that he is currently outside the Philippines.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government could not speculate on why Velasco left the country but said facing investigators would give him an opportunity to answer the accusations and clear his name.

“If his name is already being mentioned in connection with millions of pesos allegedly carried in suitcases, it would be better for him to explain,” Castro said in Filipino.

She added that if Velasco and his wife Rowena wanted to protect their integrity, “it would be better to face the investigation” rather than remain abroad.

The Bureau of Immigration confirmed that Velasco left for Japan on 30 August and did not return on his expected 14 September date. His wife also later left the country. No hold-departure order has been reported against either of them.

Castro said the Palace could not say whether Velasco left because of the investigation.

“Whether he became afraid or is simply taking a vacation, we cannot say,” she said.

Velasco was named in a sworn affidavit by dismissed police officer Rodulfo “Rudy” Gracioso Jr., who claimed he served as Velasco’s security aide and transported cash on his instructions.