EDITORIAL - On the lookout

Six of the 38 individuals named in the charge sheet for plunder in connection with the pork barrel scam have left the Philippines, immigration officials said yesterday. The statement was issued as the Bureau of Immigration placed the 38 on its “lookout list” to prevent their departure from the country even in the absence of arrest warrants.

It could take several months at best before such warrants are issued, as the Office of the Ombudsman reviews the mountain of documents to be submitted as evidence when the cases are forwarded to the Sandiganbayan for trial. The ombudsman has promised to speed up the process without compromising thoroughness in preparing the cases.

Without arrest warrants, the best that authorities can do at this time is to keep track of those formally charged, linking up with other countries to make sure no one will escape the arm of Philippine law. The country has international cooperation agreements in law enforcement and the fight against corruption. There is an international network against money laundering and other financial crimes.

Globalization has made the world smaller for lawbreakers, and the Philippines should improve its record in tracking down fugitives. There are still several high-profile personalities wanted for serious crimes who continue to evade justice, and most of them are believed to have found refuge overseas.

One reason previously cited for the refusal of certain governments to cooperate in a Philippine criminal investigation was that the country had capital punishment. With the death penalty abolished, foreign governments have one less reason to refuse to hand over wanted Filipinos. The Philippines can also invoke the UN Convention Against Corruption once arrest warrants are issued for those who have gone overseas.

Through proper coordination and painstaking sleuthing, several countries have managed to track down their wanted persons in the Philippines. There is no reason why the Philippines cannot do the same in the case of its fugitives.