DoJ chief: Mancao may be killed by assassin

By Benjamin B. Pulta

03/31/2009

A key witness to the Dacer-Corbito twin murder is in danger of being murdered himself, so said Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez yesterday.

Speaking with reporters, the DoJ chief also blasted Sen. Panfilo Lacson for continuously accusing the government of persecuting him over the killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

Gonzalez insisted that it was the decision of the victims’ family to file charges against Lacson. “The complaint was filed by the Dacer family. We had nothing to do with the preparation of the complaint,” he stressed, adding that he does not believe that “the filing of the Dacer daughters had political undertones because they did not consult with us when they filed the complaint and they were the first ones who called for a press conference. These are private people. They have their own counsel. They decided to file the case even from the US and the documents show they were subscribed to in the US.”

The Justice chief also said it was clear it was not the government that dragged Lacson’s name in the twin murders, since it was Cezar Mancao, Lacson’s former police aide, who had pointed to the senator as having given the order to kill Dacer.

Gonzalez also said he believes there are people behind the moves to block the

supposed return to the country of Mancao, who had executed a sworn affidavit last Feb. 13, 2009 in the US, unraveling the alleged “brains” behind the abduction and killing of Dacer and his driver Corbito.

At the “eleventh hour, however,” the much-awaited return to the Philippines of Mancao was preempted by a petition filed by the legal counsel of another prime suspect in the Dacer-Corbito double-murder case.

Gonzalez expressed such belief in a press conference Monday as he cast doubt on the “timing” of the filing of the petition by former police Sr. Supt. Michael Ray Aquino since the case of the latter was in connection with “espionage” charges which has nothing to do with the extradition case of Mancao.

Despite this, the Justice secretary said he is confident Mancao would return to the country sooner or later, noting that the former officer of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force has nothing else to “turn to” since it was Mancao who was very eager to come home and testify in the celebrated case.

But Gonzalez said he worries over the continued delay in the extradition of Mancao such that the former Lacson aide could be afflicted with “amnesia” or get killed or that the judge hearing the petition of Mancao might get angry with the former PAOCTF officer.

Gonzalez further said that he had received an information that Lacson has gotten the services of the Siguion-Reyna law firm which would handle the case once the Dacer-Corbito double-murder case is reopened.

The four Dacer daughters, in their affidavit complaint charging Lacson of being the brains behind the double murder, anchored their arguments on the sworn affidavit executed by Mancao, which came into public play when newspapers published the contents of Mancao’s affidavits.

The DoJ chief also warned that anybody who would be proven to be behind the petition filed by former police Sr. Supts. Michael Ray Aquino and Glenn Dumlao could be charged with “obstruction of justice”.

Mancao, Dumlao and Aquino are principal suspects in the abduction and slaying of the publicist and his driver.

Mancao has even expressed his intention to turn state witness in the Dacer-Corbito double-murder case before his supposed return to the country.

The DoJ earlier sent Bureau of Correction (BuCor) chief Director Oscar Calderon to the United States to fetch Mancao, but has been stymied by legal procedures.

Aquino is now serving jail sentence in a penitentiary in the United States.

Dumlao was also supposed to be extradited back to the country last March 22, 2009 but was effectively stopped by his filing of writs of injunction and petition for habeas corpus before the federal court in the United States.

But the DoJ chief also said “Mancao will definitely return because he will be expelled in the US. The problem with Mancao is that he might change his mind or might get killed.” Gonzalez said and also downplayed Lacson’s pronouncement on the matter.

“The good senator said truth is his best defense I think we should let this hearing proceed so the truth will come out because the hearing will hear both sides anyway if we try to impede the preliminary investigation here by certain technicalities done abroad then the truth that they seek will never come come out. “ the DoJ chief said.

Gonzalez took the view that “it is obvious that somebody is orchestrating to prevent the return because the return might be adverse to their interest. What I heard is that the Siguion Reyna Law Office has been engaged by the senator but that I cannot confirm. That’s a high powered law firm, quite influential.” Gonzalez said.

With PNA

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