Gov’t has more ammunition against Ping in Kuratong case, says Corpus

BAGUIO CITY — The government has more "deadly cannons" to unleash against opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson in the reopened Kuratong Baleleng case.

Former military intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Victor Corpus told reporters here that there are more witnesses who have come forward to testify against Lacson in the Kuratong Baleleng multiple murder case.

"Many more have volunteered to testify," added Corpus who is now the commander of the AFP Civil Relations Service.

Corpus made the remark as guest speaker of the REACT-Philippines Luzon-wide conference at the Cooyesan Plaza Hotel here yesterday.

Corpus withheld the witnesses’ names and backgrounds. " I cannot name their names now. They will be coming in due time... during the trial," he said.

Government lawyers have been evaluating the testimonies of these witnesses to see if these testimonies will bolster the case against Lacson, who is one of the principal accused in the Kuratong Baleleng case.

"If the wheels of justice grind properly, I am sure that he (Lacson) will be pinned down," Corpus added.

Bad Impressions

Manila Rep. Jaime Lopez scored Lacson’s "prolonged absence" from the Senate sessions.

Lopez, in a statement, said Lacson’s absence from the Upper Chamber "is giving the public the impression that there is threat to his life when, in fact, there is none. It is also giving the impression that he is going to evade arrest and the processes of law."

"The behavior of Senator Lacson is causing anxiety among the people, particularly among the law enforcement agencies," he added. "It is wrong for (Lacson) to claim he is a victim of injustice and government persecution."

Lopez added that if Lacson "is really innocent, he should voluntarily come out and show the world that he is brave and could defend himself. After all, the government is committed to protect him and give him justice."

He also said Lacson should "respect the decision of the Supreme Court, which is the last bulwark of democracy in our country."

Ambivalence

Meanwhile, the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), which is representing the families of the 13 slain Kuratong Baleleng suspects and other officers of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) involved in the alleged rub-out expressed ambivalence over the SC resolution.

"While we welcome the SC resolution (reopening the case), this certainly cannot be described as a victory for the cause of justice," FLAG said in a statement given to reporters by FLAG national chairman Pablito Sanidad.

Sanidad said he cannot speak well of the country’s judicial system. "How much longer will justice be made to wait?"

FLAG, he said, tested how well the Philippine legal system can fare when the accused are powerful, influential and wealthy. "While the Ramos administration found it expedient to be blind about the case, the Estrada administration made Lacson the most powerful policeman of its time."

Lacson, before running for and winning a seat in the Senate, served as chief of the Philippine National Police during the tenure of former President Joseph Estrada, who was ousted by a military-backed popular revolt in 2001.

Sanidad said Lacson never complained about the Kuratong Baleleng case during the Estrada administration, "but, today, he cries in protest and claims political persecution."

He also pointed out that Lacson was not even a politician when the Kuratong Baleleng case was first filed before the courts. "Now he uses his political position in retroactive fashion as a pathetic foil."

"If previous administrations failed to measure up to the manipulations of abusive men of power and influence," Sanidad said, "the present administration should redeem government and show us that even the mighty must answer for their misdeeds and abuses."