It’s time for Lacson to pay up P261-M

That’s it? Ping Lacson cuffs the nation to watch his Incredible Hulk series, works up his audience into crying for blood as he unravels a tale of venality, then, when everyone’s gripped with suspense for the climax, he flies off looking for a new movie to sell? What’s his point? Harang, people are hooting as the Senate curtain begins to drop, soli bayad. Time for Lacson to pay up – with his millions in secret US deposits.

The Jose Pidal flick was flawed from the start. It’s plot was so thin that director-scriptwriter Ping had to spruce it up with wild innuendoes about justices and journalists. He also weaved a subplot of his witness’ kidnapping, in a vain attempt to keep public interest. At one point in the Senate hearings, he even described two photographs as too salacious to be shown to viewers of all ages. That whetted some prurient appetites. Alas, it turned out the X-rated stills were of flip-flopping Eugenio Mahusay taking his oath years ago as Sangguniang Kabataan chapter chairman.

Even that didn’t work. For, Ping couldn’t decide what the theme of his docu-drama is. At first it was unspent campaign contributions, which is none of his business. He then tried money laundering, which he couldn’t prove. He switched to corruption, for which he has no evidence. He ended up leering about supposed extramarital romance in high places, which the Senate would look silly investigating "in aid of legislation".

The self-proclaimed investigator of 30 years couldn’t get his facts straight, thus exposing his exposé as nothing but fiction. He claimed that Pidal was Mike Arroyo in real life, but his lone witness wasn’t so sure. He insisted that President Gloria Arroyo knew about the Pidal alias account, as approver of all Charity Sweepstakes transactions above P100,000. But his evidence – Land Bank check 061283 for P1.35 million allegedly paid to the mysterious Pidal by PCSO with Mrs. Arroyo’s assent – turned out to have been for only P26,000 for a Mr. Del Pira who won a lotto consolation prize in February 2001. Too, Lacson ranted that the Anti-Money Laundering Council was foot-dragging in freezing the Pidal deposits. Yet it was he, only last Dec. when Congress was amending the Anti-Money Laundering Act, who had the freeze power ceded to the Court of Appeals, ostensibly so that the Administration cannot harrass the Opposition in an election year.

And when Mike’s brother Ignacio stepped forward as the real Pidal, all Lacson could say, abetted by audience prompters, was, "Hey, you’re supposed to be in San Francisco, not in this story." But with the unexpected character already poking his face into the camera, Lacson and troupe decided to rerun an old story about Iggy’s SanFo building being in the name of Mike and Gloria but not in their Statement of Assets and Liabilities. The Senate had investigated that in 1996, when Mrs. Arroyo was senator. Failing to arrive at a conclusion, it referred the matter to the Ombudsman who, after hearing the explanations, dismissed it.

Lacson had claimed that Mike stashed P261 million in several Pidal accounts, and under bagmen Vicky and Thomas Toh, and Kelvin Tan. He dared Mike to disprove it by assigning the deposits to Senate personnel. Iggy, as Pidal, called the bluff, authorizing the banks that Lacson mentioned to disclose all they know about Pidal, the Tohs and Tan. Upping the ante, he then gave Senate President Franklin Drilon special power of attorney to withdraw the amount for distribution not only to the Senate staff but to Armed Forces enlisted men as well.

It’s hard to hide P261 million. BPI-Family and Union declared that the Pidal accounts had long been closed, as Iggy swore. With Metrobank, Allied, Philam Savings, and Banco Filipino, they added that they hold no Toh or Tan accounts. Lacson had claimed that Pidal’s "Hong Kong account" in International Commercial Bank of China received P7.2 million in three tranches between May-July 2003. ICBC cried foul, saying that as a Taiwanese firm, it does not have a branch in Hong Kong to begin with.

Lacson ignored that. But the people are not about to ignore his P261-million bet. Going by the San Francisco court case he recently lost to Fil-Am businesswoman Blanquita Pelaez, he has money to pay up.

The case is for $3 million in punitive and $31,262 in actual damages for slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and interference in economic relation. An appeals court is reviewing the award. Just the same, the lower court has accepted Pelaez’s findings of proof of Lacson’s abi-lity to pay, namely:

(1) a house bought in 1996 by then-PNP colonel Lacson and spouse Alice de Perio in Chula Vista, California, and sold for cash in July 1999;

(2) bank checking account (17471-00188) for $56,071, and savings account (17478-00046) for $22,407, totalling $78,478, opened by Lacson in his name in 1996 at the Bank of America (BA) branch in Chula Vista, the bank statements totalled $97,386 on March 21, 1996, and $104,793 on April 22, 1996. Lacson deposited $115,113 on May 22, 1996, and $170,000 on Oct. 22, 1996;

(3) four remittances totalling $444,299.62 from Lacson to Alice, broken down as $100,000 from PCIBank-Aguirre branch to BA-Woodman Sherman branch on Woodman Avenue, Van Nuys, California, on Nov. 13, 2000; $49,980 through HSBC (formerly Marine Midland Bank, New York) on Nov. 15, 2000; $149,980 through HSBC on Nov. 27, 2000; and $144,339.62 through Bank of New York on Dec. 26, 2000.

(4) Alice’s community (conjugal) checking account (24306-01369) for $10,144.62 and interest maximizer account (24301-01390) for $356,464.54 in BA-Rancho Cordova branch, California, as of Jan. 8, 2001;

(5) formation on Jan. 8, 2001 of Orient Light LLC, with address at 14536 Roscoe Blvd., Panorama City, California, with Alice as incorporator, and her home address as 14300 Terra Bella Unit 73, Panorama City; and

(6) opening by Rosalinda Tiu, using Alice’s home address, of a Wells Fargo Bank account (201-8575365) at Portland branch, Oregon for Orient Light, with Alice (Social Security No. 621-94-4437) as vice president and Robert Co as president. On Mar. 14, 2001, Alice moved $100,000 from her BA account 24306-01369 to the account of Orient Light. On March 14, 2001, she issued two checks totalling $100,000 payable to Orient Light. On April 17, 2001 Orient Light’s bank account showed a balance of $200,098.

Does Lacson know what they call those who don’t pay up?

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Catch Linawin Natin, Mondays at 11 p.m., on IBC-13.

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