"If his abduction is linked to the current national troubles, then we beg whoever has him – please set him free," an official statement from the Dacer family said yesterday.
Sisters Ampy Dacer-Henson and Sabina Dacer-Reyes rejected insinuations that their father’s disappearance was a public relations stunt.
Dacer, 63, disappeared along with his driver Friday noon as he was on his way to his office at the Manila Hotel for an appointment with former President Fidel Ramos, a friend and client. The family of Dacer, who left his Parañaque home at 9 a.m., was last in touch with him at 10:15 a.m.
"We call on PNP Director General Panfilo Lacson to help us. Whether political or not, this incident is not a gimmick. Our father is very close to us and keeps in constant touch with his children and office staff. He would never stage any stunt at the expense of his family’s peace of mind," the statement said.
Dacer, a veteran PR practitioner, has been suspected to be behind the alleged destabilization plot against the Estrada administration along with Ramos and former national security adviser Jose Almonte.
Dacer and his driver Manuel Corbito were on a white Toyota Revo with license plates WES-294 on their way to the appointment with Ramos when last heard from by Dacer’s daughter, Ampy .
The Dacer family asked help from the Western Police District director Chief Superintendent Avelino Razon to help trace their father shortly after they suspected foul play. The WPD has found no leads so far.
But Razon said there have been no reports of ambushes or abductions in Manila or nearby provinces during the period of disappearance, and that police were tracking down the white Revo.
"We have also circulated pictures of Mr. Dacer and his driver," he added. "He was reportedly seen in Bacoor but that information turned out negative."
The Dacers admitted that their father and Ramos are long-time friends, with the PR man oftentimes providing services to the former president as well as other friends, including Almonte and businessman Dante Tan, "gratis et amore."
"But any attempts to link our father to a so-called destabilization plot are wrong. We categorically state – he has no role in the prevailing political turmoil. You, the media, yourselves know that," they said.
"Again we reiterate this appeal, set him free. The last thing this country needs is violence and the resort to brute force in the face of trouble," the family added.
Ampy Dacer said Joy, her father’s secretary, was able to contact him through his cellular phone about 1:30 p.m. Friday. But the call was not answered though the line was kept open.
At that instance, Joy said she heard the sound of running vehicles and muffled conversation of several persons in the background.
"We have in the meantime been bombarded by many unconfirmed reports. Some tell of an alleged ambush. The police have checked and found no truth to this," the Dacer family said, adding Sen. Raul Roco received a phoned-in threat that he would suffer a similar fate.
"The call to Senator Roco brings a political dimension to our father’s disappearance. We pray this is not true, for it would indicate how powerful people now make a mockery of the laws of our land and of the pledges of peace and order," the statement said.
Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also expressed concern for Dacer’s safety, as she urged the police to continue with their search.
At the time of his alleged abduction, Dacer was wearing a white Lacoste polo shirt and white pants. Corbito, his driver of 15 years, was wearing a brown shirt with collar and denim pants.
WPD General Assignment Section head Chief Inspector Arturo Paglinawan, who is now handling the investigation, said they have verified that Dacer’s vehicle passed through the Skyway from the South Luzon Exchange on the way to Manila last Friday but could not ascertain where it exited. The Dacers live in Sun Valley Subdivision, Parañaque.
Razon has formed a crack team of police agents to trace the missing PR man and his driver, even as the elite Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force has reportedly joined in the search.– With reports from Mike Frialde, Nestor Etolle