WANTS TO KNOW
MANILA,
AUGUST 22, 2011 (MALAYA) Ping bomb: Who
gave P150M to Mancao? Leila also wants to know Sen. Panfilo Lacson dropped a
bombshell at the Department of Finance budget hearing yesterday as he presented
a check in the amount of P150 million, allegedly deposited in the account of his
former aide, Cezar Mancao II.
During the proceedings, Lacson asked the Anti-Money Laundering Agency
executive director Vicente Aquino to verify a check with account number
002150-0086-06.
"This is a xeroxed copy of the check. I have no way of verifying it, but the
check is local and the transaction was made in the favor of Cezar Ochoa Mancao
II," Lacson said.
"May sagot ako diyan pero mamaya ko na sasabihin," Aquino replied.
Upon hearing Aquino's answer, Lacson said to the committee that he had no
further questions.
Lacson refused to identify the source of the check which was deposited last
year, saying only that the revelations will come in due time.
Mancao implicated Lacson in the Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and Emmanuel Corbito
murder case in November 2000. Lacson was cleared of the charges by the Court of
Appeals last February.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, in an interview, said: "I urge Senator
Lacson to give us more particulars about such a serious claim. I want to know
the who/when/where details of the alleged payment to Mancao so I can act
accordingly." – Antonio delos Reyes with Evangeline de
Vera
MANCAO TO PING: STOP YOUR FABRICATION
/ LACSON ACCUSES MANCAO RECEIVING P150-M CHECK
(STAR)
Former police Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao II did not receive P150
million as payment for anything from anyone, his lawyer said Friday.
In a phone interview with GMA News Online, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said the
P150-million check cited by Sen. Panfilo Lacson was deposited to a joint account
meant for Mancao's former business partner Theresa Abbas.
"No money was received by Mancao. It was for one of his partners," Topacio
said, adding that the check even bounced.
"There's nothing to hide there. It was a failed transaction. There was
nothing illegal," Topacio said.
But he said Mancao was not aware of the purpose of the P150-million check
because Abbas was engaged in several real estate ventures in the United States.
He added that both the account and his client's partnership with Abbas have
already been terminated.
"Their business relationship has already become sour," he said.
At last Thursday's Senate budget hearing, Lacson asked Anti-Money Laundering
Council (AMLC) executive director Vicente Aquino to verify a check for P150
million that was allegedly deposited to Mancao's account last year.
"Ang alam ko lang, authentic ang hawak kong document. Ang iba 'di ko pwede i-divulge.
'Yan ang ibinigay sa akin na info nang nag-usap kami [ni Aquino] privately," the
senator said in an interview aired over radio dwIZ on Friday.
Also, He said the AMLC had been investigating the matter even before he
revealed it during the Senate hearing.
Personal vendetta?
Topacio said Mancao's camp "welcomes" the investigation because it has
nothing to hide.
"In this case it is very clear that Mr. Mancao opened an account in his name
because he has nothing to hide," he said.
He also laughed off speculations that Mancao received P150 million as bribe
money to implicate Lacson in the 2000 killings of publicist Salvador Dace and
his driver Emmanuel Corbito.
"(The) bribe money is totally ridiculous. If you are going to bribe anyone
you would not do so through checks. The investigation of ALMC will reveal that,"
he said.
"(This was blown up) definitely to destroy the credibility of Mr. Mancao and
for personal vendetta," he added.
But Lacson said he was not accusing Mancao of being paid off by anybody.
"Di ako mag-speculate para sabihin na ang P150 million ibinayad ko sa kanya
para i-implicate ako. Tinanong ko lang kung authentic o hindi ang document na
hawak ko [that's all]," he said.
Lacson used to head the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force's (PAOCTF),
the unit that allegedly carried out the Dacer-Corbito killings in November 2000.
Mancao, who headed the PAOCTF Task Group Luzon, claimed he had heard Lacson
and former police Senior Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino talking about a
supposed plan to "neutralize or liquidate" Dacer.
Mancao was the Justice Department's key witness in its double-murder case
against Lacson that was then handled by the Manila Regional Trial Court.
The Court of Appeals, however, ordered the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch
18 to drop the murder case after finding that Mancao was not a credible witness.
The CA's decision was upheld by the Supreme Court after Department of
Justice, through the Office of the Solicitor General, waived its right to appeal
the CA ruling. — LBG, GMA News
FROM THE STAR
Lacson accuses Mancao of receiving P150-M check
By Marvin Sy (The Philippine Star) Updated August 19, 2011 12:00 AM
MANILA,
Philippines - Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday accused former police Senior
Superintendent Cezar Mancao II of receiving a P150-million check as payment to
implicate him in the Dacer-Corbito murder case.
Lacson made the accusation against his former subordinate during the Senate
hearing on the budget of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
Lacson told AMLC director Vicente Aquino to verify the authenticity of the
check that purportedly showed a deposit of the amount was made to Mancao last
year.
Lacson had an account number and claimed that it belonged to Cezar Ochoco
Mancao II.
Lacson presented a copy of the check worth P150 million with an account
number.
Lacson asked Aquino if the deposits would fall under the definition of either
a covered or suspicious transaction as provided in Republic Act 9160 or the
Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Lacson though admitted that he could not verify if the document was real or a
photocopy.
But Aquino said he has information about the check but declined to disclose
it publicly.
"I talked to him (Aquino) in private later but I am not at liberty to divulge
what he revealed to me as investigation is underway concerning the account,"
Lacson later told reporters.
The disclosure made by Aquino convinced Lacson that the document in his
possession was authentic and his suspicions about Mancao were true.
Mancao was part of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force
headed by Lacson.
Mancao and former Senior Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino were charged with
the murders of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in
November 2000 but they had already went into hiding outside of the country.
Lacson to probe PNP's P10-B modernization program
By Marvin Sy (The Philippine Star) Updated August 21, 2011 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Panfilo Lacson wants to look into the entire
procurement process of the Philippine National Police (PNP), particularly on
transactions related to the modernization program, in the wake of the
investigation on the allegedly anomalous purchase of helicopters during the past
administration.
Lacson, a former PNP chief, said that the sale of used choppers allegedly by
the husband of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to
the PNP was not the only questionable transaction uncovered in the police
service.
In his Senate Resolution 565, Lacson cited the purchase of alleged overpriced
and unusable rubber boats and outboard engines worth P131.5 million, the
overpriced purchase of P92.6 million worth of patrol boats and the over P300
million anomaly in the repair of V150 Armored Personnel Carriers.
He said all of these transactions were done during the previous
administration as part of the PNP's 5-year, P10 billion modernization program,
which started in 2008.
The program involved the allocation of P2 billion a year for the PNP for the
purchase of weapons and gadgets that are at par with the technological
advancements in the field.
Lacson said that the modernization program apparently did not result in
actual improvements in the capabilities of the PNP.
He cited the Aug. 23, 2010 hostage-taking crisis at the Quirino Grandstand in
Manila where eight Hong Kong tourists as well as the hostage-taker were killed
after the bungled police rescue operations "because of their apparent
ill-preparedness, inability and lack of proper equipment which arguably
contributed to the bloody aftermath of the incident."
The suspicions about the misuse of the funds of the PNP for its modernization
program were reinforced by the revelation made by Lacson about the purchase of
used light police operational helicopters under the guise of being brand new.
The ongoing probe by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee into the transaction
revealed that former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was the real owner of
the secondhand helicopters that were passed off as brand new when purchased by
the police.
"There is also a need to investigate how the PNP utilize their modernization
funds in the light of several irregularities in their purchase of various
equipment," Lacson said in his resolution.
"There is a pattern of anomalies and irregularities in the procurement
processes of the PNP, especially in the implementation of the multi-billion peso
modernization program of the PNP, which must be looked into in order to
determine whether this pattern of anomalies and irregularities in the
procurement processes is now an institutionalized mode in the PNP," he added.
Lacson said the PNP leadership must explain how the modernization program is
being implemented now in the wake of past anomalies.
"There is a need to determine what corrective and remedial measures are
necessary to prevent these anomalies from being repeated and institute reforms
to strengthen the procurement laws," he said.
Lacson said that the Blue Ribbon committee, composed of all senators, should
conduct the probe into the modernization program and procurement process of the
PNP.
Mancao urges Lacson to stop fabrication
Meanwhile, former police senior superintendent Cezar Mancao had urged Sen.
Lacson to stop fabricating stories about the supposed P150-million check that
was deposited in his bank account which the senator insinuated was an alleged
fee to implicate Lacson in the murders of publicist Salvador Dacer and his
driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.
"If he (Lacson) won't stop spreading lies about that check, I will also spill
the beans on him. He wants me to do that? I know the senator very well, he
should remember that," said Mancao of Lacson, who was his boss in the now
defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF).
Mancao said that he is not afraid of Lacson and that it should be the senator
who should fear him if he lets out the skeletons in the latter's closet. –
With Edith Regalado
FROM GMANEWS TV
CEZAR O. MANCAO'S MARCH 1, 2007 AFFIDAVIT
I, CEZAR O. MANCAO II, hereby make the following statement voluntarily and of
my own free will. I was not pressured, coerced or promised anything in return
for this statement. At all times prior to making this statement,
I. I am 45 years old, married, and have four children. I currently reside
with my family in Florida. I was born in the Philippines and graduated from the
Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1986. After graduation I served in
Philippine law enforcement until I left the country in 2001. From 1986 to 1991 I
served with the Philippine Constabulary as a second and first lieutenant. In
1991 the Philippine constabulary was integrated into the Philippine National
Police where I served in various supervisory positions ranging from Senior
Inspector to Senior Superintendent which is the equivalent of an Army Colonel.
II. I first met Michael Ray Aquino during my cadet days at the Philippine
Military Academy. Michael Ray Aquino graduated two years after me in 1988.
Michael Ray Aquino and I first worked together in 1993 Joint operation to
neutralize a criminal syndicate known as the "Red Scorpion Group." I was working
with the Philippine National Police and Michael Aquino was working with the
Presidential Anti-Crime Commission headed by Panfilo Lacson. In May of 1995,
Michael Aquino and I were again united in another joint operation against a gang
of armed robbers known as the "Kuratong Baleleng Group." As a result of this
operation several members of the joint task force were accused of crimes as
serious as murder. Michael Aquino, Panfilo Lacson, and I were among those
accused. All charges were ultimately dismissed by the courts and approximately
two years later in 1997, Michael Aquino and I were both assigned to "Special
Project Alpha" where we worked closely together for about one year under the
supervision of Panfilo Lacson. During this time, Panfilo Lacson was known for
his very close-ties to Vice-President Joseph Estrada who would soon win the
presidential election. In July of 1998, then president Joseph Estrada, formed
the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) with Panfilo Lacson as
its leader. Michael Aquino held the position of Chief of Operations and I was
assigned as Chief Task Group – Luzon.
III. In November 2000, Michael Aquino and I were embroiled in controversy in
a case known as "Dacer-Corbito." Bubby Dacer was a journalist who had made
public comments against President Estrada and Corbito was his driver. Dacer's
car was dumped into a ravine in Cavite Province and a murder investigation
ensued with Aquino and myself among those suspected of involvement. In the midst
of the murder investigation in February 2001, President Estrada was removed from
office and the PAOCTF was disbanded and its former members were reassigned to
far flung areas of the country. Sometime August 2001 in Las Vegas hotel, Michael
Aquino was blaming fellow officer Teofilo Vina sloppily dumping Dacer's car into
a ravine in Cavite where it was easily discovered. Aquino was complaining that
the task had not been carried out correctly. This sloppy work resulted in an
investigation which later implicated Michael Aquino in Dacer and Corbito's
disappearance.
A. After Dacer and Corbito's disappearance, I was tasked to investigate the
case. During my investigation I spoke with Teofilo Vina and Glenn Dumlao. I
called Vina and asked him if he had any involvement in the disappearance and he
told me that he had been asked by Michael Aquino to get Buuby Dacer. I
understood this to mean that Aquino had asked Vina to neutralize Dacer. When
speaking to Glen Dumlao about Michael Aquino's possible involvement, Mr. Dumlao
blamed Aquino for illegal orders. I understood the illegal orders to be
conspiring in the abduction and murder of Dacer and Corbito.
IV. In May of 2001 Panfilo Lacson was elected Senator. Michael Aquino acted
as a campaign coordinator for Lacson by overseeing campaign contributions,
posters, and other campaign media. Shortly after winning the seat a meeting was
held where Panfilo Lacson advised Aquino and I that we should leave the country.
He told us that the new presidential administration would come after us for the
Dacer-Corbito case in an effort to destroy Lacson's reputation negatively affect
Lacson's possible chances of a presidential bid in 2004. On July 1, 2001 I
followed Lacson's instructions, left my family, and flew from the Philippines to
Hong Kong where I met up with Michael Aquino. From there the two of us flew to
the United States where we traveled and lived together for the next three
months. In September 2001, I settled in Florida and Michael Ray settled in New
Jersey. Michael Aquino and I kept in touch with each other and met with Senator
Lacson several times over the next two years including meetings in Washington DC
(October '01), New York (January '02), Los Angeles and Las Vegas (January '03),
and Miami (September '03).
V. It was during this September '03 meeting in Miami that I heard Senator
Lacson instructing Michael Ray Aquino to search for U.S. real estate properties
in the name of Jose Miguel Arroyo, the husband of the Philippine Prtesident,
Gloria Arroyo, Lacson believed that Jose Miguel Arroyo had received millions of
dollars in illegal kickbacks and was investigating the money in U.S. real
estate. This was commonly known as the "Jose Pidal Scandal." This information
would be extremely helpful in discrediting the current administration. One day
after lunch, Michael Aquino brought me to Lacson's room in the hotel. Lacson
then asked Aquino what he got and Aquino showed Lacson some documents with
addresses of suspected properties. Lacson reviewed the documents and appeared
unsatisfied. He asked Aquino to continue searching and to search for various
aliases used by Miguel Arroyo as well.
After carefully reviewing the facts and being fully aware of the consequence
of my decision, I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR/AFFIRM that the facts stated are true and
correct.
______________________ ______________ Signature Date
State of Florida County of Broward
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 1st day of March 2007, by CEZAR O.
MANCAO II, who is personally known to me.
______________________________ Notary Signature
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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