Fiscals fear Dacer-Corbito case may be thrown out

MANILA, Philippines - Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors aired Wednesday their fear that the murder charges against Sen. Panfilo Lacson and former policeman Michael Ray Aquino for the November 2000 killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito.

The Manila regional trial court announced Wednesday that the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed an appeal filed by Dacer’s daughters to reverse a Court of Appeals nullifying the criminal charges against Lacson and declaring the prosecution witness, former policeman Cesar Mancao, as not credible.

Senior State Prosecutor Phillip Kimpo said with Lacson discharged as a suspect, the prosecution panel is in a quandary on how to treat Mancao’s testimony insofar as Mancao’s alleged role in the twin murders is concerned.

“What we want to know is whether all of Mancao’s testimony would be stricken out, or only the portion about Lacson?” he said, referring to Mancao’s allegation that he overheard Lacson directly intructing Aquino to neutralize “Delta” while they were in a car a month before Dacer was abducted.

Kimpo said without his testimony, Mancao may be removed from the DOJ’s witness protection program. He hopes that Mancao is retained as a state witness so they may still be able to prosecute Aquino.

Kimpo said the prosecution is eyeing two options: await the ruling of Manila Judge Thelma Bunyi-Medina or simultaneously file a motion for clarification before the SC. He noted that the lower court has yet to grant Mancao’s motion to be formally discharged as a respondent and be allowed to turn state witness under the DOJ witness protection program.

Dacer and Corbito were abducted in Manila on Nov. 24, 2000. Their charred remains were found in Cavite in April 2001.

The DOJ charged 22 men, including 11 policemen, with double murder, with witnesses tagging the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, then led by Lacson, as the group behind the murders.

Mancao and Aquino left the country in 2001. Mancao returned in 2009 and tagged Lacson and Aquino, who was extradited this year. Lacson fled to Hong Kong in January 2010, two days before a warrant for his arrest was issued, and returned last February.