Lacson called on the government to refrain from injecting politics into the anti-drug campaign and using it against perceived political enemies.
Lacson was reacting to reports quoting Corpus as saying that among those they are monitoring is "a national figure."
"Coming from Corpus, I don’t think he should be believed. Obviously, he is out to vindicate himself after failing the first time around. It’s no wonder that he wants to give it another try. Maybe he wants to feel the pain of being humiliated all over again," Lacson said.
He said Corpus and the administration are "using the issue for political ends" by citing a national figure.
"Why can’t he (Corpus) declare categorically that he was referring to me?" Lacson asked.
At the same time, Lacson praised drug enforcement authorities for adopting the two-pronged approach to the drug problem by reducing both supply and demand, with the help of barangay anti-drug action councils that he introduced and implemented when he was still Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.
PNP records show that during Lacson’s 14-month stint as PNP chief, policemen arrested some 37,000 drug pushers through intensified regular weekly operations, resulting in a smaller market for drug pushers.
He said these operations cost the PNP between P4 million and P5 million, and the results were very encouraging — there was a marked decrease in the number of street pushers at that time.
"That is why I am challenging the PNP and the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) to match our record. Puro sila salita nang narco-politics, pero wala naman silang ebidensiya (They’re all talk about narco-politics but no evidence). They are only using it for purposes of political propaganda," Lacson said.
He also took exception to claims made by some of the administration’s supporters that the drug problem in the Philippines is heading the way of Colombia, which is known as the drug trafficking capital of the world.
"I think hindi ganoon kagrabe ang involvement ng mga national politicians, siguro (at the) lower levels, kasi meron talagang meyor na involved. Pero para sabihin na may national figure… I don’t think so," Lacson said, indicating that those most likely involved in the drug trade were at the local level.
The senator also expressed doubts on the real motives of Sen. Robert Barbers, who earlier offered to leave his Senate post to act as the country’s anti-drug czar.
"When the Dangerous Drugs Act was amended to create PDEA, members of Congress allotted a mere P78 million. I had to propose to make it higher until it was raised to P178 million. And here comes another P1 billion. I just hope that the reason for Barbers’ wanting to leave the Senate was not for the P1 billion budget but rather for the success of the anti-drug campaign," he said.
Lacson also dismissed Barbers’ proposal to have convicted drug lords die by firing squad as mere grandstanding.
"When the issue of the abolition of the death penalty was proposed, he voted for the scrapping of the same while it was I who gave a dissenting opinion," he said.
"The law has been passed by Congress and the President has set aside P1 billion (for the implementation). Definitely, walang namumulitika dito. Yung nagsasabing pulitika yung namumulitika (No one is playing politics here. He is the one playing politics)," Lina said.
He debunked claims by Lacson that the recent stepped-up anti-drug campaign is a desperate attempt to destroy his credibility less than a year before the 2004 presidential elections.
"Yung nagsasabing hinaharass ang isang potential presidential candidate, pinagugulo nila ang sitwasyon. Focused na focused na nga ang gobyerno sa campaign against illegal drugs," Lina said.
"Instead of muddling the issue, those critics should help us because there is an urgent need to address this drug menace."
Lina’s comments came in the weak of criticisms from various groups, particularly from the political opposition, who expressed doubt about the anti-drug campaign’s real objective.
Lina led a multi-sectoral consultation on the national drug testing program yesterday at the PNP’s Multi-purpose Center at Camp Crame.
The event was hosted by the Dangerous Drugs Board and attended by representatives from various sectors, including health, labor and education officials and employees.
Lina added that mandatory drug tests will also be implemented as a requirement for candidates in the 2004 national and local elections.
He added that the mandatory requirement is contained in Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Berroya, who also has no love lost for Lacson, said confessed Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Muklis Yunos told interrogators they were allegedly coordinating with another group linked to Lacson in carrying out the bombings.
"One of the revelations of Yunos was that they coordinated with the group associated with Lacson," he told reporters during the weekly Balitaan sa Rembrandt Hotel in Quezon City.
Yunos reportedly said his group was working with the Revolutionary Proletarian Army (RPA), a breakaway faction of the communist movement, which at that time was being investigated by Lacson and policemen assigned to him.
Berroya said that everyone knows that Lacson is linked to the Dacer case — in fact, his close aides have already been charged with the killing.
However, he admitted there is no direct evidence linking Lacson to the cases but that the senator is using politics to ward off criminal charges against him.
Berroya said that every time a drug or criminal case is brought against Lacson, the senator says it is politically motivated.
It is "unfair" for Lacson to say that the raid on his brother’s watchman training center is politically motivated, Berroya said.
He added that police are now looking deeper into the case and hinted that it could be part of a concerted effort to destabilize the Arroyo administration.
Berroya, asked to comment on Lacson’s chances of winning the 2004 presidential derby, said the possibility is remote.
"Hindi naman siguro bobo ang mga tao (I don’t think people are that stupid)," he said. — With Perseus Echeminada, Christina Mendez