Malacañang said on Saturday that the Truth Commission will only focus on the anomalies in the past nine years and will not include the reopening of the Aquino-Galman double murder case.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said any new witnesses or developments on the murder of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s late father, Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., and gunman Rolando Galman, would have to be directed to the Department of Justice (DoJ) and not the Truth Commission, which is spearheaded by former chief justice Hilario Davide Jr.

It will be recalled that President Aquino signed the first Executive Order (E. O.) creating the Truth Commission on July 30, 2010. “Dun sa mandato ng E. O. no. 1, ang iimbestigahan lang ay ang huling siyam na taon. Kung ganun po ay hindi kasama ang Aquino-Galman case doon sa mandate nila [The mandate in EO number 1 states that the Truth Commission will only investigate the anomalies in the last nine years.

Therefore, the Aquino-Galman case is not part of its mandate],” Lacierda said. (Madel Sabater)