SEN. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday said that the operation of law enforcers in Atimonan, Quezon that resulted in bloody killing of 13 suspected gun for hire syndicate members was legitimate even without the approval of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc).

Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, said that the real intention of law enforcement units for seeking approval from Paocc is to get funding for their intelligence project.

Lacson explained that part of the budget of the Paocc is used to provide funding for different intelligence projects and that the Coplan Armado was among the proposal. After receiving the Coplan, the Paocc will review it to determine if the operation is worthy of funding, but it does not mean that law enforcers will stop the project if the commission refuse to provide them budget.

“There are other means where law enforcement team can get the needed funding for them to pursue their project,” Lacson added.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. called on Senate committees to conduct an investigation in aid of legislation on the controversial Atimonan shootout to determine if the incident was a culmination of a three-month police operation under Coplan Armado, or a rubout.

“The sheer number of people dead in the incident makes an investigation imperative so that related legislations may be passed and/or amended as the need arise,” Revilla said.

He also said that there are inconsistencies in the reports and findings of the police, and while the National Bureau of Investigation is already conducting its own probe it is also important for Congress to look into the matter.

Revilla added that he will be filing a resolution this week to formally direct the appropriate Senate committees to conduct an investigation on the incident.

Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd, meanwhile, asked the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to conduct an investigation on the reported link between the illegal numbers game jueteng and the Atimonan shootout.

Pimentel, chairman of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, said that there is a need for the police body to explain why the alleged jueteng godfather Victorino “Vic Siman” Atienza Jr. was with the group that included a high-ranking police officer and two soldiers in the two-car convoy that allegedly engaged those manning a police checkpoint in a shootout.

“There are too many loose ends in the accounts of the alleged shootout. But what I’m interested in most of all is the report that the whole incident is the offshoot of a turf war for control of the illegal numbers game in the area,” Pimentel said.