SILENCING LACSON: What it takes to Bury Dacer and Corbito for Good

Skeletons left hanging on the closets are said to haunt you till the end but is it the same nightmare caboodle that had our good Senator Ping Lacson on a “reasoning whirlwind.

By 2000, Estrada and Lacson were on a head-to-toe battle against crime with the PAOC-TF (Philippine Anti-Organize Crime - Task Force). The former was the typical “butcher” the “thugs” type while the other added as the iron hand that would do orders as told. Quite a perfect match in the first place. Not until publicist Bubby Dacer went missing then found dead and charred with driver Corbito in Cavite. Not until almost half of the PAOC-TF were on the long list of suspects that the actuated the almost decade- long double-murder slay.

As speculated before, Dacer was silenced for two reasons. First, it was for his allegiance with former-president Fidel V. Ramos who happens to be plotting the Erap regime by then. The salient “know-hows” of Dacer in the dealings of Erap as supposed to the deposed head’s “plundering” and “laundering” scheme was the fatal blow that had actually drove the “authorities” to keep him buried for good. Second, aside from the Ramos conspired treachery, Dacer was rumoured to be withholding incriminating statements and evidences against the Estrada administration to which he was opted to divulge in exchange of a far tempting chunk of bargain. Besides, the Opposition bloc by the time, who was ofcourse joined with Cory Aquino, former-Speaker Jose De Venecia and Gloria Arroyo was dying to have Dacer backing-up the plunder cases charged in the KAMARA. At that point, Dacer was indentified communicating with Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson and is negotiating a safer exit out of Erap’s wagon.

The killed PR-man was undeniably the Estrada’s Achilles Heel, while Emanuel Corbito happens to be serving the “wrong man” at just the wrong time.

Five months after the discovery of the Dacer and Corbito remains, Jimmy Lopez and Alex Diloy started spilling the beans of the supposed orchestrated murder-wrap by “trigger-men” within the PAOC-TF. The two who were identified as informants of the PAOC-TF pleaded guilty of having been part of t murder that later implicated four other police officers who then tagged ex-Senior Supt. Cesar Mancao II (Lacson’s former aide) and Glenn Dumlao, former PAOC-TF Deputy Chief of Operations to the case. But even before the narrowing of suspects came at a conclusion said PNP officials unexplainably left the country and at present continues to battle-out their extradition trials in the US. Public speculated before that the two’s escape along with Michael Rey Aquino is in lieu of fighting the odds for the trade of their lives. Erap and Ping were two formidable bosses who would eventually want to “rule-out” just about everything and anyone that could bag them with the case especially when the stakes for the 2010 elections are at stake to both Erap and Ping.

Come to think of it, why should PAOC-TF Opns Chief PNP aide give a damn over Erap’s publicist? It is not like Bubby has anything to do with the then low-profile police officials. In fact his death would not mean anything to either Dumlao or Mancao. By any chance, the two together with PAOC-TF Visayas Head –Teofilo Viña were not once caught up between charges of authority abuses before and during Dacer’s slay. Other than a legitimate order coming from Lacson and Erap, there is no other viable motive that could instigate these PNP officers’s hand on the crime.

People, are not dumb enough to believe that the up-tight Lacson could have overlooked his men in the PAOC-TF’s extra-curricular activities. The elected-solon was too good for that, he is not some shit-head in said task force. Besides, his explosive exploits and discoveries in the Senate floor could substantiate his one fine man in sniffing-out “crooks”. But hell, if Lacson claims he knew nothing, fine it is settled then. Innocence is not to be proven by public speeches it is dealt and substantiated with in courts. The fine senator should know better other than trying to craft another public mockery over the said crime.

Ping was overreacting over his implications on the still eye-locked Mancao affidavit containing 21-names of suspects under the Dacer-Corbito slay with his press statements going here and there. Point accentuated with his own demons. Lacson seemed pretty sure his on the list. Why? Was it because he knew then and there that he should be included there in the first place? Is it not outright self-incrimination plain and simple? He simply can’t keep his mount shut and it is obviously the one thing that kept the masses speculating over his guiltiness to the Dacer-Corbito case.