PALACE TO PING: TRUST PHL JUSTICE; FACE THE CHARGES
MALOLOS CITY, DECEMBER 5, 2010 (STAR) By Dino Balabo – Malacañang yesterday distanced itself from the case of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, but a high-ranking Palace official advised the fugitive lawmaker to trust the justice system of the country.
Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. told The STAR in an ambush interview here on Friday night that Malacañang is hands off on the case of Lacson, who is facing charges in connection with the Dacer-Corbito double murder case and has been in hiding for almost a year now.
Ochoa, who hails from Pulilan town, was in Bulacan on Friday night upon the invitation of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) - Bulacan chapter where he is a member and where he once served as vice president before moving to Quezon City.
"There is a pending case in court and we all know about the rules in cases," he said. "It's up to Lacson to defend himself in court."
When asked if he has any advice to the senator, Ochoa said, "I hope he believes in our justice system. He should face the charges leveled against him."
Earlier, the Court of Appeals (CA) junked Lacson's bid for freedom pending trial of the Dacer-Corbito double murder case.
This means that legal hurdles for the arrest of Lacson have been eliminated, and the manhunt by leading law enforcement agencies continues.
On Friday afternoon, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) failed to arrest Lacson in a raid at the compound of Star Paper Corp. in Quezon City owned by his close friend.
An incumbent senator of the republic, Lacson is facing two counts of murder before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 18.
He allegedly left the country last Jan. 5 prompting an international manhunt for him.
However, recent reports claimed that Lacson has been hiding in the country and is allegedly being assisted by his friends including former classmates at the Philippine Military Academy
On Thursday, Lacson's media office released his statement saying, "I will only come out when justice is rightly served or when I'm already dead."
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