Lacson vows to unmask Erap's 'bad side' in privilege speech

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Panfilo Lacson vowed yesterday to reveal “the bad side” of former President Joseph Estrada regarding his involvement in the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito.

Lacson said he would reveal Estrada’s character as a government official in a privilege speech next week.

“If it’s going to be very long, there might be Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, just like (the Jose) Pidal (expose on the alleged hidden accounts of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo). Here both the good and bad side of Erap (Estrada) would come out,” Lacson said over radio dzXL.

The opposition senator said his privilege speech on Estrada would also touch on the behind-the-scene events that transpired during the 2004 elections where he and the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. both lost the presidential race.

Lacson said his reason for exposing the former president is to allow the public to know the real Estrada and his character as a government official.

“But it won’t be personal,” Lacson stressed. “I won’t touch on his personal life because that is not good. What I will tackle in my privilege speech is his character as a government official.”

Lacson stressed he had no political motives to expose Estrada.

“Of course, all people have a good and bad side but it’s about time the people know (the bad side). I’m not going to run, I have withdrawn (as presidential candidate) so this could not be questioned that this would be politically tainted,” Lacson said.

According to Lacson, he would also reveal his personal investigation of the events surrounding the Dacer-Corbito double murder case.

He said the investigation started when he was then chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and concurrent chief of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF).

Lacson said his investigation of the murders abruptly ended when Estrada was ousted from office in January 2001.

Former police superintendent Cezar Mancao testified last Thursday tagging Estrada and Lacson as among the six people behind the murders of Dacer and Corbito in November 2000.

Mancao testified in open court tagging the two personalities among six people in the PAOCTF that carried out “Operation Delta,” a covert operation supposedly designed to silence Dacer.

Mancao also named former senior police officials Michael Ray Aquino, Teofilo Viña, Vicente Arnado and Glenn Dumlao as having taken part in Operation Delta.

Lacson and Estrada had denied knowing Operation Delta or its existence.

Estrada pointed to Lacson as the one who supposedly knew of the operation.

He said Lacson, then the PAOCTF chief, should have been informed of any operations carried out by the anti-crime unit.

Left out

But Lacson claimed he was apparently cut out of the supposed PAOCTF operations against Dacer, which is the reason why he did not know of its existence.

Lacson earlier said his sources revealed that there were orders from Malacañang at the time apparently to leave him out of the loop.

Lacson said the statements of Mancao and Dumlao pointed to Malacañang giving the supposed orders to neutralize Dacer.

“If there was indeed an instruction, it did not pass through me,” Lacson said.

Lacson said his privilege speech would clarify matters more than provide evidence on the Dacer-Corbito case.

“But I don’t know about that yet, as for now am still collating documents about what transpired and the investigation I made,” he said.

Lacson said there had been a vilification campaign against him the past months, particularly on his alleged involvement in the Dacer-Corbito case.

Lacson said the details coming out were contrary to what Mancao had told him before he stood as prosecution witness.

Lacson lamented there had been too many issues thrown against him and “it’s about time for him to stand up and defend his dignity” and honor.

“There has been a lot of spin, untrue stories that are coming out,” the senator said.

Lacson added he had gotten hold of the transcripts of the proceedings and would use it against Mancao’s lawyer Ferdinand Topacio for lying.

He said Topacio was feeding wrong information before the media and lying before the court.

Lacson said the slew of criticisms he had been getting already made him guilty before the bar of public opinion.

Lacson maintained he had nothing to do with the Dacer-Corbito double murder case.

“I never heard of Oplan Delta. And I am thinking that in my privilege speech I would include related issues that are coming out,” he said.

“For example, the jueteng (illegal numbers game) issue. What’s the real story about it because when I was PNP chief, it was an issue, which kicked him (Estrada) out of office too,” Lacson said.

Malacañang, on the other hand, urged Lacson to clear his name in the Dacer-Corbito murders and submit himself before the legal process instead of invoking his right as a lawmaker.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Lacson should not invoke his immunity as a lawmaker and submit himself to the legal process to clear his name.

“Maybe because he wants to enjoy the immunity in the Senate. As a senator that is his right,” Remonde said.

“Our call for Senator Lacson is that whether you are opposition or with the administration, rich or poor, we are all equal under the law. We should submit ourselves to our criminal justice system,” Remonde said in Filipino.

Go ahead, reveal the truth

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada also urged Lacson to clear the issues he has against his father.

“We’re going to welcome it. My advice is tell the truth,” the younger Estrada said over dwIZ.

“Let’s just cross the bridge when we get there,” he said.

Senator Estrada said the family was just laughing off the allegations against his father because they were certain about his innocence.

He also expressed confidence that his father would be cleared because the testimony made by Mancao was “preposterous and ridiculous.”

“We are unfazed,” Estrada declared. “(And) I hope his (Lacson’s) privilege speech can help (resolve the case).”

Estrada said they could not offer any information on the Dacer-Corbito case since his father had nothing to do with it.

He added his father and Dacer were very good friends and it would not be morally possible for his father to order the murder of his kumpadre.

Estrada said the issues are election-related since his father is a potent presidential candidate.

“He (older Estrada) could not be pinned down, except if they fabricate (evidence). That is a different issue,” the senator said.

Sen. Estrada also welcomed Lacson to reveal his version of the scenes behind the opposition struggle in 2004 elections.

He stressed the talks between Poe and Lacson were immaterial because the fact remained the senator remained firm in his bid to run as a separate presidential candidate.

“He (Lacson) knows he was not ranking in the surveys in 2004, so he should be the one to give way. But he still forced himself so the opposition votes were divided and (President Arroyo) won,” the younger Estrada said.

Lacson had noted Estrada and his allies have accused him of splitting the opposition in 2004 when he ran as a separate presidential candidate, which is why President Arroyo emerged the victor.

“They always criticize me for being the cause of disunity in the opposition in the 2004 elections, I will give the complete lowdown and what really happened. I will put everything in my privilege speech,” he said.

Lacson said this was the reason why he was forced to reveal all “to disabuse the minds of his colleagues in the Senate and the media,” which he said, were beginning to have doubts on his integrity.

He expressed belief Malacañang was behind the smear campaign against him, along with the others similarly mad at him.

According to Lacson, he is also aware that Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. is creating a media spin against him apparently to get even with the C-5 road project controversy.

Lacson had accused Villar of then using his powers as Senate president when he made double insertion in the 2008 national budget to finance a road project that would benefit the housing projects in Las Piñas and Parañaque City that he owns.

The controversy cost Villar the Senate presidency and ended up being investigated before the Senate ethics committee.

Lacson said he was not aware yet if Villar was involved in building cases against him except for the media spin that the former Senate chief’s camp was trying to blow out of proportion.

“There are other people but it is also clear this persecution is by the administration because their lives also became miserable because of my exposes,” Lacson said. –With Marvin Sy