Palace orders probe into PAOCC's Magdalo raid

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang remained skeptical yesterday of a report by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on a fresh destabilization plot from the rightist Magdalo group and ordered an investigation to check the veracity of the report.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman Anthony Golez and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said there is a need to validate the claim of some PAOCC officials that the raid they conducted in Clark Freeport, Pampanga last week averted a plot to spring out detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes and assassinate President Arroyo.

PAOCC executive director Mariano Villafuerte said opposition leaders, led by former President Joseph Estrada, funded the training of six former soldiers at a firing range in Clark.

“The Department of Justice will be able to understand this comprehensively after the probe and will react accordingly afterwards. I cannot make further comment because we are waiting for the results of the probe before we can react on things that are still shady in some parts,” Golez said.

Gonzalez said PAOCC commissioner Grepor Belgica visited his office last Wednesday to explain the matter and promised to submit a final report.

“I feel that if there is such a report, I cannot believe that the intelligence community of the (military and the police) would not be aware of that,” Gonzalez said.

He added that he wants to “authenticate and verify this. I want to find out what is the parameter of the authority of the PAOCC to conduct these kinds of operations.”

Gonzalez also said they will look into reports that Villafuerte staged the raid as a result of a business dispute. – Paolo Romero