‘Ador’ clears Lacson of drug rap

A star witness against Sen. Panfilo Lacson retracted yesterday his testimony before the Senate last year, clearing the former Philippine National Police chief of charges that he kept a multi-million dollar account abroad and was involved in drugs, kidnapping and smuggling.

Angelo "Ador" Mawa-nay, a former police informer, told reporters yesterday First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was part of a plot to implicate Lacson in a series of drug cases.

"The government’s accusations that Senator Lacson is involved in proliferation of illegal drugs and that he has acquired millions of dollars which he has deposited in several bank accounts in the US are untrue," said an affidavit executed by Mawanay last March 24.

Mawanay executed the affidavit before notary public Lourdes Espinosa in Makati City.

However, Mr. Arroyo laughed off Mawanay’s allegations, whom he said had a "very creative mind" to concoct a "James Bond-like story" out of nothing.

"That guy is dreaming," he said. "I will not do that. The more you tell me, the more it looks like he was a planted by Lacson. I will not make any legal action because that will only give him credibility."

But Lacson said Mawanay’s retraction proves that the former police informer had been "lying all the time" about everything he told the Senate last year concerning Lacson and the people close to him.

"I have always believed that the truth will finally prevail and pass judgment on those responsible for destroying my honor and reputation all this time," Lacson said in a statement.

"Unfortunately (Mawanay) succeeded in taking many people for a ride, including some members of the Senate, leaders of civil society groups, the Ateneo community and the media.

"I hope the people behind the smear campaign against me will show compunction and stop altogether their efforts to cast doubt on my integrity. I need not mention their names here since the media already know who they are," Lacson added.

Speaking at a rented unit in Horizon Hotel on Boni Avenue in Mandaluyong City, Mawanay said Mr. Arroyo ordered him to "hack" bank accounts, use fabricated documents and open e-mails of Lacson, Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino and a suspected drug lord — a Chinese named Wang Ya Shi, when they talked and texted via cellphone number 0917-8999720 between December 2001 and March 16 this year.

"The objective was to link the three and make it appear they are communicating with each other, and that Lacson was protecting the drug lord," he said.

Mawanay showed reporters a supposed text message from Mr. Arroyo last March 16 to prove that he and the First Gentleman were textmates.

"I will wait for you at 3 p.m. at the Malacañang Golf Club. Pls. confirm," read the text message.

Mawanay said the message can be confirmed by Mr. Arroyo’s "trusted lawyer and friend" named Vic Padilla.

But Mr. Arroyo said the text message was not for Mawanay but a certain Fuentes who had tipped him off about a big drugs shipment via text message.

"He’s (Mawanay) crazy, he’s stupid," Mr. Arroyo said. "I’ve never met him."

Mr. Arroyo said he sent the message so he could arrange a meeting between Fuentes and Anselmo Avenido, director general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

"I told (Fuentes) to go straight to Avenido and don’t bother to call me again," he said after Fuentes insisted on bringing along Mawanay to the meeting at the Malacañang golf club.

Mr. Arroyo said all the "three or four" text messages had been sent to Avenido. "The meeting was then called off," he said.

Mawanay said everything he disclosed about Lacson, Aquino and Superintendent Cesar Mancao before the Senate last year was coached by Army Col. Victor Corpus, chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Director Reynaldo Wycoco of the National Bureau of Investigation.

"The documents are not yet in my hands," Mawanay said. "Within the next two weeks, I will be giving the documents. The documents is (sic) with me. Right now, the documents are all complete. If I show them now, I’ll be at the losing end. I’m coming out with the evidence soon."

But Corpus said at a press conference yesterday Mawanay’s action was "made obviously through the machinations of somebody with something to gain" to divert public attention from the Supreme Court decision to reopen the Kuratong Baleleng case.

"We removed Mr. Mawanay from ISAFP protective custody for swindling some of our military personnel and his civilian contacts," he said.

"After this action, I don’t think the First Gentleman, Attorney Mike Arroyo, would adopt Mr. Mawanay. Let me just say that Mr. Mawanay lied over and over, including under oath, and one senator actually called him ‘an incredible witness and a congenital liar’."

Mary Ong, alias Rosebud, a former police narcotics agent, who has also accused Lacson of wrongdoing, said Corpus had not forced Mawanay to implicate Lacson in criminal activities.

"It is obvious that somebody is using him to divert the issue from the Kuratong Baleleng," she said. "Remember this, Mawanay never had a case filed (despite his accusations)."

Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño said Mawanay had not been a credible witness and that he could not be trusted to tell the truth.

"He does not deserve the protection of the (Witness Protection) Program," he said.

Mawanay was removed from the Witness Protection Program because there was no reason for him to remain under its coverage, said State Prosecutor Leo Dacera III, WPP director. — With reports from Christina Mendez, Aurea Calica