Ping’s statement opens him to perjury raps — FG’s lawyer

Sen. Panfilo Lacson could face charges of perjury if Manila prosecutor Ramon Garcia finds cause to charge him with libel in court because he had already sworn to his counter-affidavit, the counsel of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo said yesterday.

Lawyer Jesus Santos said in yesterday’s pre-trial conference that he got copies of the counter-affidavits of Lacson and his co-accused, the senator’s spokesman Angelito Banayo and Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla.

"I’m looking forward to reading the counter-affidavit submitted by Sen. Panfilo Lacson," he said. "Now that he has a sworn statement, he could be held liable for perjury."

Santos said he would go over the counter-affidavits and prepare a reply for the signature of Mr. Arroyo, who was in Bangkok, Thailand with President Arroyo for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit.

"We had eagerly awaited being face-to-face in court with Senator Lacson and his group," he said. "This case will finally force to the surface the truth about his baseless accusations against the Arroyo family and other innocent private persons."

Garcia has given Santos 15 days to reply to Lacson’s counter-affidavit.

In his complaint, Mr. Arroyo said Lacson had "maliciously imputed the crime of money-laundering and corrupt activities" against him at press conferences outside the Senate on Aug. 19, and other utterances published in the media.

"(He) was not acting in the official discharge of his duty as a senator, but only as a plain slanderer, lie-peddler and character assassin, and with the obvious attempt of causing the publication of defamatory, fabricated and baseless accusations against me," he said.

The remarks were repeated by Banayo and Remulla in several other forums, he added. –Nestor Etolle