NBI zeroing in on Ping

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is zeroing in on fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

The NBI revealed yesterday that it has received information on the possible whereabouts of Lacson, who is accused of masterminding the killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

NBI spokesman Ricardo Diaz said information from their counterparts abroad initially established the current location of Lacson.

“But we can’t categorically say that we have pinpointed his exact location. We have just an idea,” Diaz said.

He refused to reveal the initial information gathered by the NBI, saying it would be “tantamount to telegraphing our moves to him.”

Diaz noted Lacson is a trained intelligence officer and former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and is surely monitoring the government’s efforts to locate and arrest him.

“He is not an ordinary person… he used to head the Interpol Manila when he was the PNP director. This means that he knows the way the system works,” Diaz said.

“We are very sure that he is also monitoring us here in the Philippines. He also knows how the cooperation among the Interpol member countries works,” he added.

The NBI is expected to formally ask the International Police today to place Lacson in its “Red Notice” list.

Diaz explained that once Lacson is placed in this list, he will no longer be able to leave the country where he is hiding since the immigration and other authorities in the host country would be alerted.

The Interpol said a Red Notice is not considered an “international arrest warrant,” but would only allow arrest warrants issued in local courts to be circulated worldwide.

The notice can be enforced in countries with which the requesting state has an existing extradition treaty, Interpol said.

Once the Interpol Red Notice is approved, it would send out Red Notices to Interpol member states all over the world to flush out Lacson.

Diaz said their initial verification revealed Lacson is not in the United States and Australia.

“His (Lacson’s) Australian visa expired in 2008. His US visa was cancelled because he was named as unindicted co-conspirator in the espionage case involving former police Senior Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino and Filipino American Leandro Aragoncillo in the US,” he said.

Lacson left the country on Jan. 5, during the week when the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed the double murder charges against the senator.

On Thursday, the Manila Regional Trial Court issued the warrant of arrest for Lacson as the principal accused in the murders.

The NBI leads government law enforcement agencies in trying to locate Lacson.

The NBI had already served the arrest warrants on Lacson at the Senate while the PNP went to the senator’s residence and ancestral home in serving the warrant of arrest.

PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group deputy director for operations Senior Superintendent Benito Estipona said they are still coordinating with other government agencies in looking for Lacson, whom he believed might have slipped back into the country using the southern backdoor.

Lacson’s lawyer Alex Avisado, on the other hand, said he would question the issuance of the arrest warrant before the Court of Appeals.

Avisado added they would also question before the CA the denial of their motion to dismiss the case and the prayer to exclude the information for two counts of murder.

Manila RTC Judge Branch 18 Judge Myra Garcia-Fernandez denied the motions filed by Lacson’s lawyers seeking to dismiss the case against the senator and defer the issuance of the warrant of arrest.

Fernandez said the court found probable cause for the issuance of the warrant of arrest for Lacson and recommended no bail during the trial.

Avisado argued the testimonies made by Lacson’s former subordinates Cezar Mancao II and Glenn Dumlao are not enough to establish probable cause to implicate the senator in the murders.

Avisado went on to accuse Fernandez of succumbing to government pressure in issuing the warrant of arrest on Lacson.

Avisado suggested Fernandez might have been pressured by Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera to issue the warrant in exchange for approval of her application to be a justice of the Court of Appeals.

“This is an open information, Easily verifiable before the Judicial and Bar Council,” Avisado said.

Expulsion

Former government asset Mary “Rosebud” Ong yesterday urged the expulsion of Lacson from the Senate and the government to immediately put up a bounty for the arrest of the senator.

Ong, who worked as an anti-narcotics civilian agent for Lacson during his term in the PNP, said the government should exert all effort to arrest the senator since he is already considered a fugitive.

“Somebody should initiate an ethics case against Ping (Lacson) before the Senate ethics committee to expel him. That way, Ping can no longer be able to use his clout, his resources as a senator,” she said.

While the government was quick in putting up a bounty for ordinary criminals, Ong argued there should be more effort in securing Lacson since he is a top government official who is accused of a heinous crime.

Considering Lacson is a former PNP chief and a military intelligence officer, Ong said the government should now take more caution.

“The sad part is that he was able to fool a lot of people who even voted him as a senator. They did not know the real Lacson. He should not have been a lawmaker because he is a real lawbreaker,” she added.

Lacson’s lawmaker colleagues in the Senate had called on the senator to come and face the charges to clear his name.

Senate President Juan Ponce said Lacson should just come back and face the charges instead of hiding like a fugitive from the law.

Enrile had assured the Senate would see to it that the rights of Lacson are respected and allow the law to take its course.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. appealed to the public to withhold condemnation of Lacson until after justice is done.

Malacañang said Lacson is entitled to avail of all legal remedies but only if he comes back and face trial.

Malacañang said Lacson could raise whatever issues he may have before the Supreme Court (SC).

Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III and deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar, however, frowned on the advice given by Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan on how Lacson should evade arrest.

Honasan suggested Lacson should use his training as a former military officer and police official in evading arrest, in the same manner Honasan did when he went underground for several months after being implicated in a failed coup in February 2003.

Honasan went as far as suggesting to Lacson to wear disguises.

“Not a good one (advice),” Bello said. “I don’t know if (Honasan) was serious in his advice but the best advice to give to a friend is to advise him to go to court and fight it out and not run away from your problems.”

“If Senator Lacson is innocent, he should face (the charges) and prove his innocence in court,” he said.

Bello and Olivar stressed Lacson still enjoys the constitutional right of presumption of innocence until proven guilty by the court beyond reasonable doubt.

Olivar said Lacson could not defend himself by evading arrest and remaining in hiding.

The two Palace officials denied allegations that Lacson is being persecuted for being a critic of the Arroyo administration.

They said the opposition is just politicizing the issue.

Bello even offered himself to defend Lacson, as he would be resigning from the Cabinet tomorrow to run his campaign as senator under the administration.

“I will be a private citizen starting Tuesday. If he believes he is innocent. He is entitled to legal assistance from attorney Bello,” he said.

Olivar warned against politicizing the issue as those who do might be asked to “take responsibility and answer” for their insinuations before the court.

“Let’s not politicize the case because it will result in injustice. It’s a popular issue but let’s not play with justice. Do not distort it because it might boomerang on you,” Bello added.

Lacson had admitted escaping from the country but stressed that he wanted to avoid “harassment” by the Arroyo administration.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Committee on Public Affairs, said Lacson couldn’t be blamed for leaving the country to evade perceived persecution.

Iniguez said Lacson was trying to make a statement that he cannot achieve fair and just trial of his case under the present administration.

But Iniguez said Lacson has the obligation to come back and submit himself to the jurisdiction of the court.

“If he really loves the country as a civil servant, he should present himself and face the charges against him,” Iniguez said. – With Christina Mendez, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Paolo Romero, Helen Flores