MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Panfilo Lacson washed his hands of purported efforts to convince former Senior Superintendent Cesar Mancao to withdraw his testimony linking him to the Dacer-Corbito murders.
“I don’t accept bribes, so why would I offer a bribe?” Lacson was quoted in a press statement yesterday where he supposedly brushed off Mancao’s claim of a so-called bribe offer to recant his testimony.
“The fact of the matter is, the Court testimony of Glenn Dumlao has effectively demolished Mancao’s fabricated testimony against me. That’s why Mancao and his lawyer are on desperation mode,” the senator was quoted as saying in the statement.
He also noted that the same court records showed Mancao contradicted himself on many points, even testifying that he signed an affidavit prepared by government prosecutor Hazel Valdez.
On Aug. 4, Dumlao stressed in open court that Lacson had no personal knowledge about the alleged operation against Dacer, contrary to Mancao’s claim that he heard his former superior ordering the liquidation of a certain “Delta” sometime in September 2000.
Dumlao also testified that Mancao, then his task force commander, was not even aware of the alleged operation until after he reported to the latter that such an operation was carried out.
“While we were in the US, Mancao had been saying he knew nothing about the case because he was kept out of the loop.
Dumlao said he sympathized with Lacson, who he said was being pilloried while the “real masterminds” are just laughing.
“You are trying to doom an innocent man but what about the real mastermind, will you allow him to just laugh in the sidelines?” he asked.
“I’m dismayed that Lacson is the one being linked to the case. Do you not feel for a man who had no knowledge of what happened?” he added.
Dumlao admitted he was frustrated that his version of the truth was downplayed in favor of Mancao’s claims linking Lacson to the case.
He also questioned claims by Mancao’s lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, that his testimony corroborated that of Mancao, when in fact he had stated that Mancao had no personal knowledge of the operation against Dacer.
Senate off hands
Meanwhile, four senators agreed yesterday that the Senate should not meddle in the case of Lacson.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said there is a need to establish the facts first before anybody issues a statement regarding news that Lacson may have tried to bribe Mancao to withdraw his earlier affidavit that implicated the senator into the murder.
Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Juan Miguel Zubiri and Francis Escudero noted that the case is now in Court and any move of the Senate regarding the case should be in accordance with what the Court says.
Answering queries if the Senate would exert effort to protect the embattled senator, Marcos Jr. said the Senate can only act on terms on how to allow a senator does his job as a lawmaker but not on issues involving the issuance of the warrant of arrest.
“I think in general the Senate is a collegiate body and we tend to try and find a way so that our members are allowed to work, are allowed to do their jobs without fear of harassment, without fear of arrest,” Marcos Jr. said, citing the Senate’s move supporting the possibility of allowing detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to attend the session.
“We’ll have to find a reason with the Court because he has a warrant. So of course he will have to appear first in Court and then maybe, as I said, the Senate President or a delegation from the Senate can see if there is a way to find arrangement because after all, we do presume his innocence rather than his guilt,” Marcos Jr. said.
Escudero said nobody has personal knowledge of alleged bribe try and he leaves it up to Lacson and his allies to answer Mancao’s allegations.
He said the Senate cannot put Lacson under its custody because the Senate can only do that in crimes where the penalty is below six years.
Zubiri, meanwhile, refused to comment on the issue, saying it is a legal matter. - By Christina Mendez and Non Alquitran
