Lacson looking forward to peaceful retirement

If he will have his way, the chief of the nation’s police force would like to retire quietly and without any controversy.

"My only ambition is to retire peacefully and to have a private life," Panfilo Lacson, Director General of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday.

Lacson arrived yesterday from a week-long trip to the United States which generated suspicion from the political opposition because Malacañang and the PNP kept quiet about it.

After stepping off the plane he took the stairs leading down the tarmac to avoid questions from dozens of reporters waiting for him at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Lacson complained that his trips abroad were often marred by controversies. "I did not anticipate that something like this will come up," he said.

In a radio interview yesterday, Lacson again denied claims made by Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that he was seeking US support for his alleged plan to take over the government if President Estrada is acquitted in his impeachment trial and his acquittal is rejected by the people.

"The only purpose of my trip is to follow up the committment by the US Congress to donate $26 million for the PNP foundation," he stressed. "Consider the funds we can raise from the $26-million donation, apart from the other donations we have received. We can generate about P1.5 million per anum from the interest alone."

The money will be used to buy equipment for the PNP, Lacson said, adding that he wants the PNP foundation to be his legacy when he retires in 2004.

However, Lacson’s explanation created more questions among reporters because his concern over the foundation – a civilian entity. In his earleir statements, Lacson said he did not want to get involved in the foundation’s affairs to avoid any controversy.

Lacson also "categorically" denied Arroyo’s claim that he went to the US to persuade an alleged jueteng lord, Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda, to testify against Arroyo. Arroyo denied allegations that she received payoffs from Pineda.

Lacson left on Nov. 28 at the height of the anti-Estrada protests. His trip generated controversy because authorities simply said that Lacson was on an official trip but was reluctant to reveal the nature and purpose of the trip.

President Estrada dismissed Arroyo’s claims as "preposterous," saying that the police and military would "remain neutral" in the nation’s current political crisis.

Lacson said yesterday that "as long as President Estrada is the commander-in-chief, we will be there to protect him."

"But we will abide by the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines," he added.

Mr. Estrada’s chief aide, Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora, said Lacson’s trip was authorized by the President.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. and the US embassy said Lacson met with US congressman Dana Rohrabacher, who is keen on security in the Asia-Pacific region, and Defense Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs Franklin Kramer.

Lacson is a key ally of the President. He headed a police task force in the now-defunct Presidential Anti-Crime Commission, headed by then Vice President Estrada.