Lacson travel doc didn’t come from HK, 2 other consulates 2011/03/31 at 8:12 am
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine consulates in Macau, Xiamen and Hong Kong did not issue the travel document used by Sen. Panfilo Lacson to enter the country last Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.
DFA spokesman Ed Malaya said that as a Filipino, Lacson is entitled to the protection of the law and can be issued a travel document for a return travel to the Philippines.
The DFA made inquires with Philippine Consulate General officials in Hong Kong, Xiamen and Macau. They stated that the travel document used was not issued by them, he told reporters.
Also travel document no. 34258 was not in the inventory of the Consulate General in Macau. The DFA is making further inquires in the matter.
The Bureau of Immigration on Monday said Lacson did not use a passport when he traveled from Hong Kong to Mactan-Cebu International Airport over the weekend.
Atty. Maria Antoinette Bucasas-Magrobang, immigration spokesperson, said the senator secured a travel document last March 24. She said the travel document could have come from the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong.
Magrobang said that a travel document can only be used by a Filipino upon entry in the Philippines and cannot be used to enter another country. She said the document is usually issued to Filipino nationals who lose their passports in a foreign country or if their passports expire before they have a chance to renew it.
Travel documents can only be used once and any Filipino can avail of one, not just senators, she added.
Since Lacson used a travel document, the BI cannot indicate which countries the senator visited while in hiding because he did not present a passport.
Lacson returned to the country last Saturday after the appellate court nixed a warrant for his arrest in connection with the Dacer-Corbito murder case. The senator hid for 14 months after he was linked to the murders.