"Mr. Lascañas has three (3) warrants of arrest issued against him, he has to be brought to the Court to face the charge against him. Since he is abroad and since there is no indication that he will return, we are constrained to request the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel his Philippine passport."

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    - Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II

"I will be formalizing a request with Foreign Affairs Secretary Allan Peter Cayetano of the Department of Foreign Affairs for the immediate cancellation of the passport of Mr. Arturo Lascañas. Apparently, after he left the country and went to Singapore last April 2017, Mr. Lascañas has not shown any intention of returning to the country. Verily, his acts manifest his lack of desire to face the charges of murder and attempted murder filed against him in the Regional Trial Court of Davao City. Mr. Lascañas has to be brought before the Court to face the charges against him. If he believes in his innocence then he should welcome his arrest as a chance for him to clear his name and get on with his life. However, if he is guilty, we cannot tolerate his continuing flight. As it is said, when a crime goes unpunished, the world is unbalanced and the heavens will look down on us in shame. We cannot allow it. We will be remiss in our duty. We are equally guilty if we do so," Justice Secretary Aguirre said.