'God save RP from Erap'

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Panfilo Lacson made good yesterday his threat to expose former President Joseph Estrada’s “bad side” as he recited in a privilege speech a litany of the deposed leader’s alleged excesses and criminal activities, including smuggling and the shakedown of a businessman.

Part of Sen. Lacson's speech

"God save the Philippines from Joseph ejercito estrada," Lacson said att he end of his speech titled, "Ang dalawang mukha ng sining" (The two faces of art)."

Lacson, in his speech, narrated how Estrada enriched himself while in power from 1998 to 2001.

Lacson accused Estrada of involvemnt in the illegal numbers game jueteng, extortion and intimidation of businessmen, and of ordering the release of big shipments of smuggled dressed chicken from the Bureau of Customs.

Behind Estrada's pro-poor posture was a man lusting for power and wealth, Lacson said.

Behind a pro-poor Joseph Estrada who is well-loved by the masses lie transactions fraught with abuses and achieved through the use of the power of the presidency to enrich himself, Lacson, the chief of the Philippine National Police during the Estrada administration, said in Filipino.

Lacson said he had his first encounter with Estrada's greed for power when the latter tried to convince him to go easy on jueteng.

"Jueteng is just one illustrative insight into the character of Mr. Estrada as a government official, and as President of the country," Lacson said.

"There were other sinister behavioral patterns that must be told to the Filipino people," he said.

Lacson first worked with Estrada in an anti-crime task force when he was still vice president.

In August 1998, Lacson said he learned that one of the country's prominent businessmen, Alfonso Yuchengco, was forced to sign conveyance of his 7.75 percent shares with Philippine Telecommunications Investment Corp. (PTIC), equivalent to 18,720 shares, to Metro Pacific under its president Manuel V. Pangilinan.

Lacson said the PTIC holdings corresponded to 2,017,650 common shares of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. of PLDT.

"Mr. Yuchengco, I also learned later, was pressed to sign a waiver of his right of first refusal over the PTIC shares of the Cojuangco-Meer group," Lacson said.

Years later, Lacson said he learned of Estrada's order for the police to harass Yuchengco's son Tito with threats of arrest on trumped up drug charges to force his father to sell his PTIC shares. Lacson said this shakedown happened while Estrada was barely two months in office.

"This harassment of the young man was accomplished through deliberate and obvious physical surveillance," he said. "I only learned that the Yuchengco family had long harbored this grudge against me because they thought that Estrada directed me to conduct this harassment to force them to sell their shares of stocks with PLDT," the senator added.

"The bigger and more important question remains: What was the deal in pesos and centavos between Mr. Estrada an Mr. Pangilinan, if any? Or should we rather ask, how much was involved?

Lacson also reminded Estrada how he helped him in his capacity as head of the defunct Presidential Anti-Crime Commission (PACC) under then President Fidel Ramos to combat kidnapping in the country. Their paths crossed on Aug. 4, 1992 when he joined the PACC task force.

Lacson said he sensed something could be wrong with Estrada's character when he reneged on his campaign promise to appoint then Gen. Joselin Nazareno as Armed Forces of the Philippines chief.

Before his appointment as PNP chief, Lacson recalled meeting with Estrada a number of times during which the former president asked him to go easy on jueteng.

It was during his stint as commander of the defunct Task Force Habagat when he became close with Estrada, then chief of PACC.

Lacson said his unit's accomplishments against organized crime including then neutralization of the dreaded Red Scorpion Group on Feb. 17, 1993 that helped propel Estrada to the presidency in 1998.

"Modesty aside, but without mental reservation, I can dare say our performance helped chart Mr. Estrada's road to presidency," Lacson said.

He also said he helped Estrada in his presidential campaign by urging his colleagues at the Armed Forces and the PNP to "mount an organized strategic effort" to thwart possible election fraud.

Flawed logic

Lacson lamented Estrada's "flawed logic" for believing that no corruption is involved if it does not involve government funds.

"Following his flawed logic it is not corruption to accept bribes -- from jueteng and shady deals that involve using the power  and influene of the presidency, he said.

"He has not heard of conflict of interest or taking advantage of one's position to amass wealth. He has not changed that loose definition of corruption," Lacson added.

"Now, he is presenting himself again to the Filipino people, for one more chance at the presidency," Lacson said.

"At this juncture of our history, after suffering eight years under the regime that succeeded the Estrada presidency, I would be remiss in my sworn duty as an elected member of the Senate, as a nationally elected official of the land, if I did not unburden myself of my insights into the character of Mr. Estrada," he added.

Dacer issue

Lacson also denied Estrada's claims that the senator was directly involved in the murders of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito.

"In an effort to defend himself from accusations that he may have been involved in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case, he has consistently asserted that he never dealth with officials other than the heads of agencies," Lacson said.

Lacson said a "subordinate officer" took direct orders from Estrada from certain missions after he and the former president had a falling out.

"I did not bother to find out anymore if the officer complied or not with Mr. Estrada's order. I thought I should not interfere with a direct order from the President to a subordinate officer because in doing so, I felt that I would add insult to injury upon myself," Lacson said.

Yet, on so many occasions, and I have personal knowledge on this, during his presidency, he was giving direct orders and instructions deep into the layers of the entire government bureaucracy, the PNP and the PAOCTF (Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission) included," Lacson added.

Lacson also slammed Mr. Estrada for accusing him of having a hand in the so-called Operation Delta, or the alleged plot to kill Dacer.

"Mabuti pa si Estrada, alam niyang may Oplan Delta. Ako sa  mga pahayagan at kamakailan ko lamang narinig at nalaman na mayroon palang Oplan Delta (At least Mr. Estrada knew about Oplan Delta. I only learned about it recently in newspapers)," Lacson said.

Smuggling

Lacson also revealed that Estrada asked BOC officials to turn a blind eye on a big shipment of dressed chicken and rice from Vietnam, sayig his capabilities in this regard are unmatched.

He recalled that Estrada phoned him to ask him to go slow on the government's anti-smuggling campaign.

Lacson said the former president intervened in the release of 20 40-foot containers of dressed chickens sometime in 2000.

Lacson revealed that Estrada even gave direct orders to one of Lacson's subordinates for the release of a shipload of smuggled rice from Vietnam that was seized by the PAOCTF somewhere in the Cebu-Bohol area.

After he was appointed PNP chief in November 1999, Lacson realled another conversation with Estrada in Malacanang when he asked him again to reconsider his strong position against jueteng.

It was also during that conversation that he told Estrada about a P5 million a month payola (protection money) given by former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson to PNP chiefs as "standard operating procedure."

The senator said Estrada even asked Singson to remit to him the payola that Lacson refused to accept, three to four months after he was ppointed PNP chief.

Out of the loop

"Jueteng became the sour point between me and Mr. Estrada. I made it clear that I would stick to my 'no take policy' and I continued to issue stern warnings to my regional and provincial directors that if they tolerate operations in their areas of responsibility, they would be removed and subjected to harsh disciplinary action," Lacson said.

Lacson said his life became miserable when he maintained his no nonsense campaign against jueteng."

"The general public, even most of my distinguished colleagues in this hall, may not be aware of this, but it was common knowledge in Malacanang as well as in Camp Crame at that time, that for the most part of the second half of the year of 2000,  I was not welcome in the Palace due to my differences with then President Estrada over the issue of jueteng," Lacson said.

Lacson noted that Estrada and Singson, who later turned state witness in the plunder charges against Estrada, had a falling out during the implementation of the Bingo 2-Ball, which competed with jueteng.