Ping confident Mancao won't implicate him

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Panfilo Lacson expressed confidence yesterday that his protégé, former police senior superintendent Cesar Mancao II, would not implicate him in the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and Emmanuel Corbito.

Lacson reiterated he was not involved in the murder case, citing information from sources that Mancao’s testimony did not specifically name him among the suspects involved in the kidnapping and murder of Dacer and Corbito nine years ago.

“First of all, I don’t really have anything to do with it. Secondly, based on my observations, the charges are not geared towards me,” Lacson said over dzBB.

Lacson said Mancao might have been forced to sign a statement.

“My concern is if Mancao is pushed to the wall and would resort to not telling the truth to qualify for the witness protection program, that is my concern. Right now, I can say I am confident because I have information on what is in the affidavit, I have an idea, although I have no confirmation about it,” he said.

Lacson said President Arroyo would use Mancao to implicate him in the double murder case to get back at him for exposing corruption in the present administration.

Lacson said he would not be surprised if he would be named as the mastermind in the double murder case since he is one of the administration’s staunchest critics.

Lacson earlier urged to make public the affidavit of Mancao to end speculations of his supposed involvement in the case.

Malacañang, on the other hand, advised Lacson to wait for Mancao to make public his sworn statement before making any conclusions of his own.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Lacson should go slow on his tirades since no one has officially accused him of any involvement in the gruesome murders.

“We do not know about the existence of that affidavit, Mancao is not even here yet, he is not even in the Philippines yet, so any allegations or any averments about the affidavit contents right now are really nothing but speculation,” Remonde said.

Until such time Mancao is extradited to Manila and issues his sworn statement, Remonde said that is the only time “that we should make any reaction.”

“Right now, statements on that alleged testimony of Mancao will be an overreaction and those who would overreact would only be making themselves suspects why they are overreacting,” he said.

Remonde also reiterated the assurance of the Department of Justice on the safety of Mancao upon his return from the US.

Mancao reportedly agreed to reveal all the principal suspects and the details of the double murder case during his extradition hearing in Florida last week.

The US court ordered Mancao back to the Philippines after presenting a signed statement agreeing to his extradition.

Mancao reportedly made an agreement with Dacer’s daughter, Carina, to reveal the principal players in the kidnap and murder case.

Mancao was among those charged in the double murder case along with former police superintendents Glenn Dumlao and Michael Ray Aquino, all currently detained in the US.

Dumlao is being detained pending extradition charges against him while Aquino is also awaiting extradition pending the decision of his appeal in his conviction for spying.

The three former police colonels served under the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) then headed by Lacson.

Lacson served as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief under former President Joseph Estrada.

The three police colonels were among the 22 people charged in the double murder case before the Manila Regional Trial Court that issued a warrant for their arrest.

Before the warrant of arrest was served, the three separately fled to the US, prompting the Philippine government to invoke the extradition treaty to have them sent back.

Lacson repeatedly maintained that he had nothing to do with the crime.

Lacson claimed Mancao had revealed to him last year that he is being pressured by the Philippine government.

He said Brig. Gen. Romeo Prestoza, chief of the Intelligence Service Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), had called Mancao in September last year, offering to reinstate the former police colonel to the service in exchange for testifying on the case.

“Whatever this is, I am an enemy of Malacañang… I exposed all these, so I am not surprised that they are getting back at me,” he said.

Lacson said he decided to defend his name to avoid a mistake when he refused to answer the same accusations when it was first hurled against him in 2001.

“It was a big mistake when I kept silent on the accusation that was hurled against me in 2001,” Lacson said, also referring to other kidnapping, murder and drug charges leveled against him when he first ran and won for the Senate that year.

Lacson was also accused of maintaining a multi-million bank account stashed in the US.