De Lima upset, angry over leakages on Atimonan incident report

By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Irked by the leakage of the Atimonan incident report, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said she will order an investigation to identify “defiant agents” who disregarded their order not to prematurely disclose information.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been tasked to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Atimonan shooting incident that led to the death of 13 people.
The NBI report has yet to be submitted to the President due to minor glitches in binding the more than two inch thick report.

However, reports came out quoting sources that the police and soldiers involved in the shooting incident will be charged with murder.

“Alam nyo bilin kasi ng Pangulo na wag dapat i-leak o i-release yung report. Kaya nga nalulungkot ako, nagagalit ako sa mga leakages na yan (The President said there shouldn’t be any leakage. That’s why I am sad, I am furious over these leakages). I specifically and repeatedly gave that instructions to the NBI team working on that report through [NBI] Director [Nonnatus] Rojas and he also said that he also repeatedly gave that instructions to the NBI team that there should be no premature disclosure of any of the content of the report,” she said.
“So, yung nababasa natin, sasabihin nila (So what we are reading, they will reveal) from an NBI source or requested anonymity obviously they would do so because he or she is not authorized to speak. Dun kami nababanas ni Director Rojas (It’s because of that that’s why Director Rojas and I are upset),” De Lima told reporters.

After the release of the report, De Lima said she will order Rojas to conduct an investigation to identify the NBI agents who leaked the report and impose sanctions.

“That is defiance of a direct order from a superior. Tingin ko may ilang element dyan sa (I think there are some people in the) NBI who are undermining the leadership of Director Rojas or the Secretary of Justice,” she said.