Noy to get NBI report this week

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is sure to submit to President Aquino this week its report on the controversial Quezon shootout on Jan. 6 that left 13 men dead.

“I can assure you that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima will submit a report this week,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters when asked about the delay in the submission of the NBI report to Aquino.

Lacierda attributed the delay to the President’s directive that he wanted the NBI to come up with an exhaustive report on the matter.

But the other day, De Lima attributed the cause of delay to the difficulty in establishing the motive for the bloodbath.

Earlier, Aquino advised De Lima to submit the NBI findings after his return from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He left on Jan. 24 and returned Jan. 27, but no report was submitted.

 â€œThey need to come up with a comprehensive final report and that’s the reason why the secretary of justice and the NBI want the report to be exhaustive,” Lacierda said.

The Palace official assuaged fears of a whitewash.

“That’s something I can assure you. I spoke to Secretary De Lima and she informed me she will submit a report to the President this week,” he said.

Lacierda also gave assurance that there would be no news leaks on the results of the NBI probe. He said they have made this clear to De Lima.

“Secretary De Lima gave strict instructions to the NBI that there should be no leaks. She’s very aware of those news reports coming out in the various broadsheets,” he said.

The day Aquino left for Davos, the NBI was supposed to submit to him an initial report on the probe. But this did not push through, giving probers more time to pursue other leads, and to get the sworn statements of witnesses.

Earlier, the Palace defended De Lima for issuing statements that supposedly preempted the NBI investigation.

Deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said De Lima “is in a better position to speak about the matter, owing to her proximity to the investigation.”

De Lima had been criticized for concluding that what happened in the Atimonan checkpoint was not a shootout, and that the 13 men were killed “in cold blood.” She made the conclusion after the reenactment of the supposed shootout in Barangay Lumutan.

Valte said journalists who covered the reenactment needed the details that the justice chief could give.

But some quarters expressed fears that the results of the NBI investigation could be tossed out in court despite strong testimonial and documentary evidence due to De Lima’s statements.