MANILA, Philippines - The widow of slain racer Ferdinand “Enzo” Pastor, who is also being tagged in his murder, is still in the country, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday.
In an interview, De Lima said claims that Dalia Pastor was able to slip out of the country to Malaysia via the country’s back door turned out negative.
“Based on my initial query, there’s no such record of departure as of yesterday,” she said, but added that authorities are still trying to confirm a report that Dalia used a chartered flight to Tawi-Tawi last Tuesday before taking a speedboat to Malaysia – an escape supposedly worth P8 million.
“If it was a chartered plane the CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) would have advised us. But so far, there is no indication that (she) has already left the country,” she revealed.
Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Elaine Tan said BI travel records show that as of yesterday Dalia was still in the country, but they are still checking records at all ports of entry.
Dalia is facing parricide charges with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for Pastor’s death. Her alleged lover, Domingo “Sandy” de Guzman III, is facing a separate murder case for allegedly ordering the killing on June 12.
De Guzman is out on bail after being charged for illegal possession of firearms.
Confessed gunman Police Officer 2 Edgar Angel has pointed to De Guzman as the one who allegedly tapped him to kill Pastor. Angel was earlier arrested for a drug offense and remains in detention.
The DOJ has issued a lookout bulletin order against De Guzman, Dalia and Angel. De Lima clarified that while LBO cannot prevent the respondents from leaving the country, the presumption for their possible flight is that “they are trying to evade prosecution and therefore could fall under the crime of obstruction of justice.”
Meanwhile, lawyer Salvador Panelo denied reports he represented Dalia in the case involving her husband’s murder.
Panelo said he withdrew as a lawyer of the Pastor family because he deemed it improper to continue representing the victim’s parents while he is also friends with Dalia. He continues to be the family’s lawyer in their other concerns.
Amid allegations that Dalia has left the country, Panelo said he has not had any communication with the widow since Pastor’s wake.– With Evelyn Macairan, Reinir Padua