Palace urges court to expedite ruling on Dacer case

Malacañang called on a Manila court yesterday to expedite the issuance of warrants of arrest against former police officials Michael Ray Aquino and Cesar Mancao II, two of the accused in the abduction and killing of public relations practitioner Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito, five years ago.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Merceditas Gutierrez, also acting executive secretary, assured the families of Dacer and Corbito that "the wheels of justice were turning" and that the government, through the Department of Justice, has been following up the case.

"The lower court will now act whether to issue warrants of arrest. We would like the case to be resolved and we expect an immediate action by the lower court based on the Supreme Court decision," Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez said the DOJ would make the necessary action after the issuance of the warrants, such as the request for the extradition of Aquino and Mancao based on the evidence against them.

The Manila RTC recently ordered the case to be archived while waiting for the SC to rule on the government’s motion to include Aquino and Mancao in the double-murder case.

The case reached the Manila RTC after the DOJ filed an amended information to indict the two police officials.

Dacer and Corbito were abducted by a group of police officers allegedly belonging to the now defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) at the corner of Osmeña Highway and Zobel Roxas on Nov. 24, 2000.

They were then brought to Indang, Cavite, where they were strangled to death before their bodies were burned.

Relatives of Dacer and Corbito earlier renewed their calls on President Arroyo to keep her promise of prioritizing the case and help them obtain justice.

Carina Dacer said that with the SC decision, they are hoping for the issuance of necessary warrants of arrest for Aquino and Mancao and the capture of the 12 other accused in the case.

"We do not want people to forget how our father and his driver were executed, mercilessly strangled and burned to death by people paid by ruthless and inhuman operations men of the PAOCTF under orders from still unidentified and unnamed masterminds," Carina said.

A breast cancer patient, Carina said she was not actually losing hope that justice would be served, but lamented that the long wait can sometimes cause extreme desperation.

Carina noted that in 2001, the President assured them the case would be a priority of her administration while the National Bureau of Investigation vowed to use all its resources to build a solid and credible case.

She urged the DOJ to expedite the extradition proceedings against Mancao.

"We have spotted a glimmer of hope with the decision of the Supreme Court. We ask the concerned government agencies to ensure that this ray of hope is not extinguished by the machinations of the powerful politicians who masterminded this gruesome and brutal double murder," Carina said."We have waited for five years and finally, a milestone has been reached."

The DOJ said that since the SC has allowed the inclusion of Mancao and Aquino in the Dacer-Corbito murder case, then their extradition will push through.

Last Oct. 13, the SC granted the government’s motion to include Aquino and Mancao in the charges.

Aquino, Mancao and other police officers identified with the PAOCTF had been accused of perpetrating the double-murder.

But the SC ordered the removal of another senior superintendent, Glenn Dumlao, from the list of respondents to the case.

Dumlao has gone in hiding and has asked to be allowed to turn state witness in exchange for his testimony implicating Aquino, Mancao and the late Teofilo Viña in the double-murder case.

The amended information also discharged Dumlao’s co-accused, Alex Diloy and brothers Jimmy and William Lopez, from the case after they turned state witnesses against Aquino, Mancao and Viña, who were charged as additional accused.

Based on the complaint, the SC’s decision in effect would strengthen the case of the prosecution against Aquino and other top ranking police officials who had been tagged by Dumlao as the brains behind the abduction and killing of Dacer and his driver.

Other accused in the case are Senior Police Officer 4 Marino Soberano, SPO3 Mauro Torres and SPO3 Jose Escalante.