NBI rushing probe to avoid more tension with Taiwan—De Lima

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine investigators were “rushing” to complete their report on the May 9 fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) men “to douse further speculations” that may cause more tension between Manila and Taipei, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Monday.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) held a second case conference on its findings on Monday after an initial one over the weekend.

De Lima said she was not sure if the NBI would be able to complete its final report this week, but said that the investigators were “rushing” it.

Premature reporting

“That’s the only way to douse further speculations and prevent the premature reporting of so-called findings,” De Lima said, adding that she would neither confirm nor deny any report on the results of the investigation attributed to “alleged sources.”

She maintained that the NBI report would only be considered official when signed by NBI Director Nonnatus Rojas.

De Lima added that the NBI investigators and their Taiwanese counterparts had agreed to meet one more time to discuss their reports before releasing their separate findings.

“But we cannot prevent [them] from releasing their respective reports if they’re ready, if either side [is] ready to issue [its] report,” she said.

Asked if the NBI report would still be subject to change after the meeting between the NBI and Taiwanese investigators, the justice secretary said she did not know the NBI’s position on the matter.

No jurisdiction issue

But De Lima stressed that the NBI findings would not include any question on whether the incident happened within Philippine territory, because it was “clear” that it happened within the country’s boundaries.

“We investigated it because it’s within our jurisdiction,” she said, adding that Taiwan may have investigated the incident because it was an “extra territorial” issue to them.

De Lima explained that Taiwan’s laws may indicate that the incident was an “extra territorial” matter because the shooting happened in a Taiwanese registered vessel and involved the death of a national. Thus, Taiwan thinks it has jurisdiction over the case, she said.

The justice official said the issue of jurisdiction was not going to be contentious as it was not the focus of the NBI investigation.

“We recognize each other’s jurisdiction at this point, [as evidenced by] the fact that both sides are conducting parallel investigations. It’s the prerogative of both authorities to conduct an investigation and, based on the results, to have it subjected to their respective laws,” she said.