Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 30) — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered an investigation on the source of an appointment document believed to be forged, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said Tuesday.
Cruz-Angeles said a document pertaining to the appointment of lawyer Abraham Espejo as new Immigration chief could not be found in the records of the Office of the President, the Office of the Executive Secretary, or the Presidential Management Staff.
“Signature ng ating pangulo ang pinaghihinalaan nating na-forge, so medyo mabigat po ‘yung implications nyan,” she said in a press briefing. “It can cause not just confusion but further crimes. Kung kaya’t with this in mind, nag-order siya ng investigation.”
[Translation: It’s the president’s signature which we think was forged. This has heavy implications. With this in mind, the president ordered an investigation.]
Espejo is a former dean of the New Era University’s College of Law. His “appointment” was reported by some media organizations, citing anonymous sources who were said to have received a copy of the supposed appointment paper.
The Press Secretary said that the Department of Justice — through its attached agency the National Bureau of Investigation — and the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group will handle the probe.
She warned that those found guilty of forging the president’s signature or stamp, or the Great Seal of the Government, may face jail time of between 12 to 20 years.
“‘Yung ganitong klaseng crime can cause instability,” she said. “Ito po ‘yung pangunahin sa isip ng ating pangulo – na magkakagulo kung ano, kung ganito ‘yung papabayaan nating mangyari.”
[Translation: This kind of crime can cause instability. That’s the primary concern of the President – that there could be disorder if we let things like this happen.]
The press secretary also called on media outlets which may have information on the source of the document to coordinate with authorities.
