Roxas blames judge for escape of armed men in Revilla house

MANILA, Philippines - Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II blamed yesterday the failure of a judge in Cavite to immediately issue a search warrant for the escape of armed men supposedly seeking refuge in the compound of Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.

In an interview after the flag-raising ceremony at Camp Crame, Roxas said six men were arrested last week near Revilla’s compound in Bacoor, Cavite for illegal possession of firearms, but that the others escaped.

“The judge must answer why many witnesses, including media, saw the armed men with high powered automatic firearms,” he said.

“Some of the firearms were seen inside the vehicles. They were supposed to be NBI agents. Actually, they are not organic to the NBI.”

Police filed charges of violation of the gun ban and usurpation of authority against the alleged NBI confidential agents.

Renato Garbo III, head of the NBI district office in Cavite, told Justice Secretary Leila de Lima that the team was deployed to the area on the request of Revilla, who had complained of rampant vote buying 200 to 300 meters from the family compound.