Ping Lacson: They seek him here, they seek him there

Even by Philippine standards, the manhunt for Ping Lacson in the 188 member countries of Interpol has an absurd feel to it.

I especially liked the revelation that Ping was spotted by Jinggoy Estrada in Hong Kong.

The eldest son of ousted President Joseph Estrada said he saw Lacson strolling with wife Alice at the ground level of the famous Ocean Terminal and shopping center in Tsim Sha Tsui.

He said he and his wife Precy were likewise strolling on the second level.

Despite the bad blood between them, Estrada said he did not hesitate to call Lacson’s attention: “Ping! Ping!” he shouted, using the other man’s nickname.

He said Lacson appeared startled but yelled back: “Who’s with you?”

He said the Lacsons waved and then disappeared in the crowd of holiday shoppers.

Ha, ha – too good! “Who’s with you?” – did Ping think he had strayed into one of Jinggoy’s movies and was about to be rubbed out Kuratong Balaleng style in the final scene?

I wonder whether the police forces of the Interpol countries will feel that their time is well spent hunting down Lacson when the authorities in his home country have proved so lackadaisical in taking action against him.

Ping has not exactly been cowering under a stone in the nine years since the grisly murder of publicist Bubby Dacer and his unfortunate driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000. In fact Lacson has been almost too visible, running two successful senatorial campaigns and one unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2004 (in which he managed to split the opposition to Arroyo and let her in for a second term).

Nor is Ping’s alleged role in the double murder anything new. Ever since witnesses to the gruesome murder emerged in early 2001, Ping’s former staff have been busy fleeing to the States (Aquino and Mancao in July 2001, Dumlao in May 2003), getting conveniently murdered (Viña in May 2003), or spilling the beans (Mancao in February 2009).

Yet the glacial progress of Philippine justice meant that charges were not filed until 7 January 2010, by which time, as the Jinggoy anecdote above shows, Lacson had already flown the coop.

This timing may not be coincidental. Lacson was one of the main critics of presidential candidate Villar’s C5 road scam (see next post). If, as the rumours go, the administration has forged a deal with Villar, this sequence of events means that (1) a prominent Villar and Arroyo critic is out of the way, (2) the chance of a messy pre-election trial with claims and counter claims is reduced, and (3) the Philippine cops will be saved the unedifying task of arresting their former boss on a double murder charge.

The whole thing seems to be a charade and if there is even one reader out there who thinks it will end up with Ping serving time I’d be very surprised.

Finally, another bizarre twist to this tale is the unexpectedly high showing in the latest Senate opinion poll of Alex Lacson, an inoffensive Chauncey Gardner type figure who has written a book called 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country. If you find it surprising that having the same family name as a man being sought in 188 countries on a double murder rap would increase your chance of being elected senator you probably need a refresher course in Philippine political logic. There will be plenty on offer in the next three and a half months.

Comments

[Thesis Writing Help]

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[J. Del Rosario]

Does Anyone believe that Ping Lacson is innocent of the murder of Bubby Dacer, his driver Emmanuel Corbito, Inspector Vina, and the killing of the members of the "Kuratong Baleleng Gang? Go to bed at night after you had your tooth pulled by your local dentist and wait for the Tooth Fairy to come around to leave some money under your pillow. You;ll see.

[winston]

Ping Lacson is innocent. Final

[rahul]

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[true_lies]

There is no other phrase to best describe Senator Panfilo Lacson’s recent strategy but an act of desperation. Ping, through his office, distributed a one-page press statement to the media to reiterate his request to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to order a reinvestigation of the case and also to provide several counter points pertaining to evidence, his so-called innocence, facts and his alibi. To a layman reading the purported statement, one could be easily led to believe that he is a mere victim of injustice and political maneuvering. However, as a citizen we owe it to justice to see all sides and dissect such a self-serving statement to ferret out the truth which can only be achieved if we tease Ping’s statement apart, bit by bit.
He said that one should only look at the evidence to obtain justice. He forgot that he was already given ample time to submit his counter evidence to prove his innocence. Recalling the development of the case, a preliminary investigation was initially conducted in July 2009 by the Department of Justice wherein Ping was given opportunity to submit his counter-affidavit and personally appear before the DOJ panel of prosecutors. It was from this preliminary investigation that the DOJ also found probable cause for two separate crime of murder against Senator Lacson and which became the basis for the filing of a criminal case with the Manila Regional Trial Court.
In a bid to delay the legal process, Ping filed a motion for judicial determination of probable cause which ironically, and to his dismay, only fast-tracked the issuance of a warrant of arrest against him given that all records to include all his submitted evidence were once again scrutinized and found to be sufficient to advance the case. But in an apparent show of his infamous stubbornness, Lacson instructed his lawyers to file for the issuance of a temporary restraining order against the warrant which was sensibly denied by the sixth division of the appellate court on December 3, 2010. From these developments, one can readily surmise that two courts have already examined the evidence against him and that he was already accorded due process and for that reason should no longer call for De Lima to reinvestigate the case.
To further emphasize the lack of need to reinvestigate the case, De Lima herself stated that she is leaving everything to the court, even pointing out that Ping’s motion for reconsideration has already been strike down by the same court. An excerpt of the decision explains the reasons behind such rejection:
“Significant it is to point out, at this juncture, the testimonies of Dumlao which allegedly provided exculpatory evidence for him were already at hand when this court issued its order dated 4 February 2010. Hence, the same and all other pieces of evidence on records have already been considered by the court in arriving at its said order....”
"it should not pass the burden to the prosecution in determining probable cause by granting a reinvestigation at this late hour when all the evidence are already within its hold to ascertain the same."
“To do so will accomplish nothing but to cause further delay in the early disposition of the cases.... this court finds no cogent reason to exercise its discretion of ordering a reinvestigation of these cases which jurisprudence dictates should be sparingly wielded,”
He claimed that he was innocent and prefers to suffer in pain but with dignity. He had been a law enforcer for a long time and should very well know that a suspect’s flight only translates to guilt. If what he claim of his innocence is true, he should have submitted himself under the jurisdiction of the court when his name first cropped up in the Dacer-Corbito murder case. By doing so, he would have demonstrated that he fears no one and in effect could have won the world over to his side, thus proving his purported innocence. However, he opted to be a fugitive and counter his charges via the media and attempts to project himself as a sorry victim of the past administration. So who is into political maneuvering now?
One can only deduce that Ping is also afraid to face his former subordinate now turned witness to the case, Cesar Mancao. By merely issuing counter statements via the media, Ping is only sinking deeper into a quagmire of cases and the mess he is involved in. He is being given a chance to formally counter the testimony of Mancao yet he remains elusive and stubborn. His recent action would only prove that he is terrified of being exposed thus guilty of the charges filed against him.
His alibi that he was out of the country at the time the order to kill Dacer was given is also quite feeble. Such a defense is weak and reeks, again, of desperation. With the technology we have now, the power and money he wields, it would be quite easy for Ping, via his multitude of minion, to forge documents that will project that he never left the country. However, such an alibi was twice denied by the court. Like a cornered rat, Ping is desperately drawing on his last straws. The statement failed to establish his innocence and has instead only exposed that he has been hiding not because he is a victim but because he was the mastermind and is terrified of serving his time in jail.

[abenk]

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Well, what can I say? I think the Interpol countries will feel that their time is well spent hunting down that guy when the authorities in his home country have proved so lackadaisical in taking action against him and I will be happy for it. 2j3j

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　Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the freedom to choose his attitude in any given set of circumstances. （Leonhard Frand , German novelist）