SENATE WELCOMES BACK LACSON / IN HIDING PING LEARNED BAKING & COOKING
MANILA, MARCH 30, 2011 (STAR) By Christina Mendez - The Senate welcomes today returning Sen. Panfilo Lacson with two big tarpaulin banners proclaiming: "The truth has set you free."
The banners show a close-up photograph of the senator superimposed on a Senate seal, and the words, "Welcome home" (in red paint), Sen. Panfilo Lacson" (in blue), and "The truth has set you free" (yellow), in reference to the recent decision of the Court of Appeals that granted the petition of the senator to dismiss the double murder case filed against him for the killing of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in 2000.
The phrase is in bold yellow – similar to the political color associated with the present Aquino administration.
The 80-page ruling of the appellate court's special sixth division also reversed the two orders from the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18 that found probable cause to indict Lacson for the double murder of Dacer and Corbito in November 2000.
The CA also revoked the arrest warrant the Manila court issued against Lacson, who had been in hiding since January last year.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile ordered Lacson's office cleaned and freshened up as early as last Thursday.
Enrile also reportedly ordered the release of the senator's budget.
Villar saw Lacson in Dubai
Ironically, a day before Lacson's arrival last Saturday at the Mactan International Airport in Cebu from Hong Kong via a Cathay Pacific flight, Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. spotted him in Dubai.
Villar gave the information to some close aides but the senator refused to be interviewed further on the issue.
It was not known whether the two senators took time to talk to each other during the chance encounter as Senator Villar and his wife, former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, were en route back to Manila. The Villars arrived last Friday evening.
The couple was returning from Zaragosa, Spain after receiving a United Nations Best Practices Award in recognition for the Villar Foundation's "Sagip Ilog" program last Tuesday.
Lacson initiated the Senate investigation on the P200-million alleged overprice of the C-5 Road extension project in Las Piñas, one of the issues that derailed Villar's presidential bid in May 2010.
Villar and Lacson became bitter enemies and have not talked since the senator went into hiding a few months before the elections in January last year, and after Villar lost to President Aquino last May.
Although in hiding, Lacson had supported Aquino's presidential bid.
Lacson reportedly met with some members of his staff upon his arrival in Manila last Saturday and the senator was "happy that he is back."
"Let's just expect the same Senator Ping or the other way around. There is always time for reckoning," one of his staff members said.
Lacson is expected to hold a press conference at the Senate today.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan welcomed Lacson return, saying that he can finally speak out about the accusations in public.
Pangilinan expressed belief from day one that Lacson should have faced the justice system regarding the Dacer-Corbito case.
"From day one, we believed he should face the justice system and it can only be by surfacing that this can be done," Pangilinan said.
Pangilinan said he had just read the developments of Lacson's case in the news, so he believes that it remains with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to finally decide with finality on the case.
"The DOJ is looking at its options. Whatever they may be then Sen. Lacson will have to face it," Pangilinan said.
During his absence, Lacson had issued at least two press statements – one saying that he would surface only when justice has been served or when he is dead, and the other one on the alleged pasalubong and pabaon systems at the Philippine National Police (PNP) at the height of the Senate's inquiry into the alleged corruption in the military.
Lacson also lashed at Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for keeping him on his toes while in hiding because De Lima's "repeated public announcements of my whereabouts" prompted him "to go a notch deeper underground."
Lacson made the statement in the wake of De Lima's and the PNP's announcement over an intensive manhunt against him.
Lacson to join impeachment trial
Senate President Enrile is counting on Lacson to participate in the impeachment trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez when the Senate convenes as an impeachment court on May 9.
Enrile is elated that Lacson could finally return to work and that his presence can boost the senators' numbers once it is time to decide on the six articles of impeachment filed against the Ombudsman before the chamber.
"Well personally, I am happy that he finally returned and rejoined the Senate because we need all the senators to help us work out the problems of the country, and aside from that, we need him because we are going to have an impeachment trial," Enrile told ABS-CBN News Channel.
He said the Senate "need all senators to be present so that we have enough numbers to deal with the problem that we are going to handle in case of the impeachment of the Ombudsman."
Enrile, a veteran lawyer and lawmaker, added that nothing prevents Lacson from participating in the impeachment trial.
He defended Lacson's more than a year of absence at the Senate, saying he understood the plight of the senator.
"He has asked permission to leave his country. As far as I am concerned, we understood his problem. No person in his right mind, if he can find a way to avoid arrest, if you believe that you are innocent, then they will do it," said Enrile.
Asked about the pending ethics complaint against the senator, Enrile said Lacson's absence is no issue for him.
"Well, if there's anybody who would complain, I will not complain against my colleague. As I said, I understood his plight," the Senate president said.
The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) had filed an ethics complaint against the senator last year for his failure to do his job during the time he was in hiding.
Malacañang is ready to support the request of Lacson, an ally of President Aquino, for a reinvestigation of the Dacer-Corbito case.
"We will have no problem with that (reinvestigation). It's the secretary of justice's call. There he (Lacson) will have the chance to defend himself," Secretary Ricky Carandang of the Presidential Communications Office said.
Carandang said that the impartiality of DOJ prosecutors during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was questionable.
"That's what Sen. Lacson is requesting before. He questioned the impartiality of the DOJ panel then. And he asked for a fair process," Carandang said over government-run radio dzRB.
Carandang also denied speculations that Malacañang may have been informed by Lacson about his decision to resurface.
"We haven't heard from him yet. He wants to spend his weekend with his family. There are no signals yet from him or his camp," Carandang stressed.
Lacson resurfaced Saturday at the Mactan International Airport in Cebu where he disembarked from a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong.
The senator left the country on Jan. 5, 2010, two days before he was charged with the murders of Dacer and Corbito. It was before the presidential campaign started, where he supported the candidacy of Aquino.
It was not clear where he had been since his disappearance in January last year. There had been reports that Lacson never left the country.
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) dropped Lacson's name from its red list following the CA's voiding of the arrest warrant on him.
Lacson's son and chief of staff Ronald Jay Lacson said the senator declined to grant interviews upon his arrival because he wanted to spend time with family first.
But he said his father is set to hold a press conference today. With Delon Porcalla
Fugitive Ping learns three S's By MARVIN SY (The Philippine Star) Updated March 29, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (72) View comments
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
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