Bentain kin hopes Lacson will tell all in next speech

MANILA, Philippines - The youngest brother of Edgar Bentain, the former Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) video technician who went missing on June 16, 1999, asked Sen. Panfilo Lacson to divulge what he knows about the disappearance of his brother.

Lacson is poised to deliver his second privilege speech against former President Joseph Estrada next week and is reportedly set to divulge what he knows about Bentain’s disappearance.

“I hope he (Lacson) would just tell what really happened, who really is the mastermind, because from what I see on the news it seems like he’s still 50-50,” Ediver Bentain told The STAR in an interview in their house in Quezon City.

“But we are hopeful that his so-called exposé, his privilege speech, will shed light on what really happened to my brother and who is the mastermind,” he added.

Ediver explained that their mother does not want anyone in the family to grant interviews regarding the matter since she has long opted to keep silent.

He said they do not want to tell the same story all over again, and their mother also wanted them to be careful for fear that by talking about the issue, one of them might disappear again.

Ediver said his mother just wanted to know where the remains of Edgar are so they would be able to bury him.

He said most of their family members have already opted to live abroad. Their father Eduardo was chief of the police force at the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman.

But Ediver noted that he considers Lacson’s anticipated disclosure on the Bentain case their huling baraha (last card) to finally close this tragic chapter in their life.

“It’s done. He’s (Edgar) gone. Our priority now is to find his remains so we could pray. The Dacers are better off, they saw his remains,” he added.

Bentain said they had long suspected that Estrada had something to do with the disappearance of his brother and that Lacson could even be involved.

“Still I believe this is our chance to locate my brother, to know what truly happened even if it seems like he (Lacson) is just washing his hands off the issue,” he said.

The controversial video footage, taken on Sept. 15, 1996 at the VIP pit of the Heritage Hotel casino, showed Estrada playing high-stakes baccarat with his friend Charlie “Atong” Ang and Butch Tenorio, who was the casino’s general manager at the time.

This case made the headlines when Manuel Morato, former chairman of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), identified Edgar as the man who gave him the video clip of Estrada, who was then vice president.

Morato released the video footage before the May 1998 elections allegedly in an effort to discredit Estrada, who was topping all the surveys.

Edgar disappeared six months into the Estrada presidency.

Morato, in a separate interview with The STAR, expressed hope that justice would finally be served to the Bentain family.

“It’s about time that justice is given to the Bentain family, who suffered so much already. Those in the know should help this family. It’s only just that they speak out,” he said.