THE Department of Justice on Monday gave Msgr. Arnel Lagarejos, arrested by the Marikina City police last July for allegedly “booking” a 13-year-old girl from a pimp, more time to answer the complaint against him for qualified human trafficking.
During the preliminary investigation of the case at the DoJ, Assistant State Prosecutor Karla Cabel gave Lagarejos, who was not present during the hearing, five days to submit his counter-affidavit.
His co-accused—Shaira Pedragoza, Ace Lasaca, a minor and several John Does—were also given the same period to file their respective answers to the complaint. They were accused of allegedly acting as pimps.
Cabel set the next hearing of the case for violation of Section 6 (qualified human trafficking) under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 on Sept. 22.
The closed-door hearing was attended by Lagarejos’ lawyers, while the victim and her mother attended and subscribed to their complaint.
Lagarejos was already charged before the Marikina City Regional Trial Court for trafficking under the same law, but he was able to post bail for his temporary liberty amounting to P120,000.
The complaints pending before the DoJ were in connection with two previous incidents where the DoJ said he also hired the same minor before he was arrested.
Earlier, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said Antipolo Bishop Francis de Leon had stripped Lagarejos of his post at the St. John the Baptist Parish in Taytay, Rizal.
He was also removed as president of the Cainta Catholic College. At the same time, the CBCP assured the public it respected the criminal procedures initiated by the police against Lagarejos.
The Church probe is separate from the ongoing investigation being conducted by the police.
