Fugitive Ping learns three S's

MANILA, Philippines - For Sen. Panfilo Lacson, life as a fugitive revolved around three S’s – “shaving, shampooing, and s…ting.”

In his first public appearance since surfacing last Saturday, Lacson said he learned many domestic chores while in hiding, including cooking and baking. But he said most of his days were spent fighting boredom.

Lacson yesterday refused to divulge details of his days as a fugitive, particularly the identities of the people who helped him escape or gave him sanctuary.

He went into hiding on Jan. 5 last year after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with the murders of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito.

He arrived at the Cebu-Mactan International Airport on a commercial flight from Hong Kong last Saturday. He claimed he had been abroad all the time.

The former police chief said that he had to learn to live with people he had never met before, and had to do menial jobs for his hosts.

“When I felt tired cleaning the house and dishes, I went to bed early. You cannot be like a señorito there. I was not a senator there, I was just a guest,” Lacson said in Filipino.

While in hiding, he said he learned to cook Filipino dishes such as afritada, embotido, menudo and sinigang – from Google. He said he even baked his own pan de sal.

“I cooked and baked almost everyday,” Lacson said.

He added the Internet helped him keep abreast with developments in the Philippines and in his family.

“There were times when I was chatting with my children and I would say wait I just need to do the dishes, BRB (be right back),” Lacson said.

He said he had also pored over downloaded reads including the “Art of War” by Sun Tzu.

Make up for lost time

Now that he is back in the country, Lacson said he would make up for lost time with his family, working on legislative bills, and preparing for the impeachment trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in May.

He said one of the first things that he did upon his return last Saturday was play with his grandchild.

On Sunday, Lacson said he visited the grave of his mother and had a reunion with siblings. He heard Mass with his family before having a quiet dinner.

“I felt that yesterday (Sunday) was the best day of my life with my family,” Lacson said.

After his press conference yesterday, Lacson said he made a formal request for the release of his office’s budget.

Lacson said that his office barely survived last year from savings from the previous year. He said he is planning to file a bill in support of his advocacy of helping victims of injustice.

“I can tell you now, I cried my eyes out. Not for me but for my staff. Why did they have to be involved in this?” Lacson said.

“The primary advocacy that I am looking at now, apart from anti-corruption, is to help those who suffered injustices. Like Hubert Webb for example, he stayed in jail for 15 years,” Lacson said, referring to the son of former senator Freddie Webb whose conviction for rape and murder was overturned by the Supreme Court.

“What happens now that 15, 20, 30 years of the lives of these people were lost already? I will explore how to strengthen the position of the people who were falsely accused and are suffering through legislation,” he added.

‘Instinctive compass’

“For 13 months I was a fugitive. For 13 months I lived the life of a prisoner outside a prison cell. The only difference from one who suffers in confinement is that I could, on my own will, navigate my movements using the best of my instinctive compass,” he said in a press briefing at the Senate.

“I had only one rule to follow – do not get caught,” he added.

“I have been subjected to the vitriol of arrogance and hatred by my old and new detractors. I have been humiliated, unfairly eviscerated of my dignity and personal honor even as I am humbled by an experience so surreal I never imagined could happen,” he said in a statement he read during the press briefing.

“Every single day that I was underground, the crucible started each time I opened my eyes,” he added.

He also claimed he didn’t put on any disguises while in hiding.

“I just kept my head down. I was also virtually living the life of a prisoner because I was not free to move around. I disciplined myself to the hilt. If I was disciplined as a former chief PNP, I am even more disciplined now, probably a thousand times more disciplined because it’s my survival,” Lacson said.

There were times when people recognized him or called out to greet him. In some instances, people approached him to ask him to pose for photos with them.

“I used the best of my instinctive compass for all of my movements. They call it Spartan discipline. Never mind the little comforts, including enjoying a bit of sunlight. My security was always my priority,” he said.

“It pays to be one, two, three steps ahead all the time,” he said, referring to his success in avoiding arrest.

He said he had to stay focused even if confronted by news of his family’s troubles. He said his wife underwent open heart surgery while he was away.

“My children also had their own problems. So I guess that my training of keeping stability under pressure was also good. The worst feeling was when you felt you were helpless,” Lacson said.

Innocent

He reiterated that he had nothing to do with the Dacer-Corbito murders.

“The unvarnished truth is I was made to suffer for a crime I did not commit. Two former secretaries of justice drove me to become a fugitive from injustice,” Lacson said.

“True, evading arrest may be legally difficult to justify, if not hardly defensible. True, going underground is politically incorrect and I must admit that I was constantly balancing the bigger picture with the issues of the moment. But at the end of my daily debate with my own wits, I decided not to place myself under the jurisdiction of a court whose judicial determination of probable cause and the subsequent issuance of a warrant of arrest I was questioning before a higher court of the land,” he added.

Lacson also belied claims that he was under the protection of the current administration while in hiding.

“On a personal note, there were frequent moments that I felt the persecution had never stopped even after a new administration took over the reins of power. All I was asking for is a fair share of justice, correct its miscarriage and trim the excesses of the past regime,” Lacson said.

Forgiving

He admitted he was hurt by the injustices that he claimed he was made to suffer, but was not closing the doors to forgiving his tormentors.

“I told myself I should really reflect on this, to forgive my tormentors altogether or seek justice through the legal process. But I’m more inclined to just forgive and forget. That’s my state of mind,” Lacson said.

“This might become an unending struggle,” he said.

“If it’s my old self who’s talking maybe I would say

I should go after my detractors and my tormentors hammer and tongs. If it’s the new me, I’d say, forgive and forget,” he said.

He said he knew only two kinds of friends: “The envious and jealous drop out on your way up and the opportunistic ones drop out on your way down.

“But luckily and still thank God there’s a rare third kind, those that will stand by you through thick and thin, through hell or high water. That’s why it’s wrong to say there are only two kinds of friends in the world. There’s a third kind,” he said.

Incognito

Immigration officials said Lacson arrived in the country almost unrecognizable in sunglasses and bonnet.

Deputy Head Supervisor for Administration Nancy Lyn Chiong Tagle, stated in her report to BI

Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. that based on the accounts of duty airport arrival officer Jennifer de Vega Null, Lacson queued up with other passengers when he presented his travel documents.

“He was wearing sunglasses, bonnet and a checkered shirt. Nobody assisted him at the BI-MCIA immigration arrival area. He underwent the normal clearing procedure as he fell in line to the immigration counter for clearing. There was no commotion because other people had not noticed his arrival,” said Tagle. 

Based on the information in his arrival card, his last known address was in “Marriott” in Hong Kong.

In the passenger list, Lacson occupied seat 11A on Cathay Pacific flight CX921 from Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, BI spokesperson Maria Antonette Bucasas-Mangrobang said BI-Alien Registration Division chief Danny Almeda would be asked to explain his having escorted Lacson out of the airport premises. She said Almeda met Lacson not in his official capacity.

“We were just informed of the incident. But the details of what happened last Saturday were not discussed… I supposed he (Almeda) would be required to submit a report,” Mangrobang said.

Meanwhile, Philippine National Police spokesman Agrimero Cruz said lack of liaisons abroad would explain the police’s failure to track down Lacson.

“The PNP coverage, when it comes to fugitives abroad, is not good enough,” Cruz said.

“We have very limited police attachés in other countries,” Cruz said.

“If the Interpol was not successful (in apprehending Lacson), I think we should not be harsh in judging our intelligence community in hunting Lacson when he was still a fugitive,” Cruz added. With Evelyn Macairan, Christina Mendez, Helen Flores, Sandy Araneta