No ax to grind vs Lacson — NBI Chief

CABIAO, Nueva Ecija — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Reynaldo Wycoco dismissed claims that he has an ax to grind against former Philippine National Police chief and senatorial candidate Panfilo Lacson.

The NBI chief stressed that his differences with Lacson have nothing to do with police theories linking Lacson to the gruesome murder of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver Manuel Corbito in November last year.

"People are entitled to their own opinion but we have been very circumspect, particularly in dealing with the Dacer case," Wycoco said.

Wycoco was a front runner for the top PNP post in 1999 but was bypassed when then President Joseph Estrada named Lacson, an old friend, to the post.

Lacson, however, was linked to the Dacer-Corbito killings after 10 officers of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), then under Lacson, were charged for the double murder.

Wycoco also presented to media a photocopy of a check for P1 million allegedly issued by Lacson to Dacer, allegedly as a down payment for Dacer’s services.

Lacson allegedly wanted to hire Dacer to counter the negative publicity he was getting after members of the Kuratong Baleleng gang were gunned down by agents of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission (PACC), which Lacson headed under Estrada who was then vice president, in May 1995.

Wycoco claimed Lacson ordered the bank to stop payment on the check because Lacson could not raise the balance for Dacer’s fee.

Wycoco said police theories linking Lacson were being pursued because of this evidence and not because he had an ax to grind against Lacson.

When Lacson was named PNP chief, Wycoco was named PNP deputy director for administration but media continued to pit one against the other on a number of occasions.

But Wycoco stressed that the NBI would continue to pursue the Dacer case despite allegations from Lacson that Wycoco was only pursuing the case because the NBI chief wanted to discredit Lacson.

"This case has nothing to do with the elections so we will continue to pursue it," Wycoco said.