Lacson blames Arroyo for his involvement in Dacer-Corbito case

Senator Panfilo Lacson blamed former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for his involvement in the Dacer-Corbito case, claiming that witnesses were coerced into implicating him.

“Inamin na nung mga nagtestify, nag-apologize pa nga sa akin si [ex-police officer] Cezar Mancao na pinilit lang siya noong grupo nila Ginang Arroyo na idiin ako,” Lacson, a staunch critic of Arroyo, said on The Mangahas Interviews on Saturday.

(Those who testified, such as [ex-police officer] Cezar Mancao, apologized to me, saying that he was just forced by the group of Arroyo to implicate me.)

Lacson was accused of being a mastermind in the November 2000 murders of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito.

In 2011, the double murder charges filed against him were dismissed by the Court of Appeals, and the SC upheld the CA decision.

The senator earlier denied breaking laws when he left the Philippines after being implicated in the Dacer-Corbito case.

Lacson was also accused of being involved in the Kuratong Baleleng rubout case which transpired in May 1995. At the time, he was a police chief superintendent and head of Task Force Habagat, one of the police units involved in the case.

In 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling of a Quezon City court clearing Lacson of murder charges in relation to the case.

“Nagsimula po ito dahil parang runaway winner si Vice President Erap Estrada noon para sa eleksyon noong 1998 eh 1995 nangyari ito. Nasilip nila na pwedeng gamitin laban kay Vice President Estrada at dahil ako yung Task Force Habagat,” Lacson said.

(It started because Vice President Joseph "Erap" Estrada was a possible runaway winner in the 1998 elections, but the incident happened in 1995. They saw that it could be used against Vice President Estrada and because I am from the Task Force Habagat.)

“Ako yung pinaginitan ng todo todo dahil gusto nilang sirain si Vice President Erap so yun po yun politika po yan eh, ano naman po vindicated naman po eh wala po akong naviolate,” he added.

(They focused on me because they wanted to destroy Vice President Erap. It's all politics. I was vindicated. I did not violate anything.)  — VBL, GMA News