DOJ: Subic rape case transfer to Manila is last resort

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Thursday said he is holding off transferring the rape case involving six US marines from Subic to Manila as a last resort.

 

"The last recourse is to transfer the case to Manila but not now when [proceedings] have not yet started," Gonzalez told DZMM.

 

Lawyer Katrina Legarda, counsel for the 22-year-old alleged victim, has requested the Department of Justice to hold the preliminary investigation at the DOJ in Manila.

Gonzalez said preliminary investigations must first start to give the fiscal "a chance to prove that he can handle the case assigned to him."

 

"[Olongapo City Prosecutor's Office] has jurisdiction over the case because the crime [allegedly] happened there," he said.

 

He said a case is usually transferred to another venue when there are circumstances that prevents the parties to with the prosecution such as when there is threat to the security of any party involved.

 

Gonzalez also scored criticisms that he coddled the suspects by allowing their transfer of custody to the US Embassy. Legarda earlier accused Gonzalez of allowing the transfer after receiving a call from American officials.

 

"I have never talked to anyone from the US Embassy from the time the case was reported up to now," Gonzalez said.

 

"Legarda must have been hallucinating and she's talking about all deals, which she does not know about," he added.

 

Gonzalez said it is important to gather all pieces of evidence against the suspects for the case to succeed.

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs formally notified the US Embassy in Manila to require the six accused US Marines to appear in court for the preliminary hearing of charges that they raped a 22-year-old Filipina on November 1 in Subic Freeport.

 

Named in the subpoena were US Marines Keith Silkwood, Daniel Smith, Albert Lara, Dominic Duplantis, Corey Barris and Chad Carpenter.

 

On Thursday, the joint oversight committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate will conduct an inquiry into the rape case involving the US marines November 1.

 

The resource persons include Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, head of the executive committee for the Visiting Forces Agreement Sosimo Paredes and Legarda.

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