NBI: LACSON HAS LEFT HONG KONG, HIDING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY
MANILA, MARCH 3, 2010 (STAR) By Sandy Araneta - National of Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Nestor Mantaring yesterday confirmed that fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson has left Hong Kong and is now hiding in another country.“When the warrant of arrest came out, we informed all the operatives, the investigative, intelligence and regional offices of the NBI to look for Senator Lacson. Our Interpol Division was also tasked to coordinate with our counterparts. We are continuing the search. We have leads. We started with the information that he left the country for Hong Kong. From Hong Kong, we are tracing his whereabouts,” said Mantaring.
However, the bureau chief refused to categorically state where Lacson is currently hiding.
“We have information that he already left Hong Kong and proceeded to some other countries. We are validating that information,” he said.
Mantaring would not comment if Lacson might be hiding in Europe, where some countries have no extradition treaty with the Philippines.
He said the NBI is now coordinating with other law enforcement agencies abroad through the Interpol or through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
“Lacson is not a priority right now, considering that there are a lot of other cases being handled in the NBI. Just like the police, whoever has a warrant of arrest, we will arrest them,” lawyer Victor Bessat, NBI’s Deputy Director for Regional Operations Services (ROS), said, adding that the bureau has no information if Lacson has come back to the Philippines.
“But everything is possible. He can be here. He can be there. One senator even said that he is a master of disguise,” he said, referring to Sen. Gringo Honasan.
“We have alerted all regional stations of the NBI. All warrants of arrest are being served, whoever the accused is,” said Bessat, but doubted that the fugitive lawmaker is hiding in the province considering that he is a “high-profile accused.”
He said he does not believe that Lacson could hide much longer because the Interpol and law enforcement agencies in other countries have already been notified, and the senator is not an ordinary person.
“ There will be a time he will be arrested. Even those hiding for 20 years still get arrested. A warrant of arrest cannot lapse,” he said.
Lacson has a warrant of arrest for the murder of Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.
The senator could have been moving from country to country as he was monitored to have left Macau on Jan. 28 for Hong Kong, according to sources at the NBI.
Lacson, who is now on the Interpol’s Red Notice, left the Philippines for Hong Kong last Jan. 5.
DoJ subpoenas Ping Lacson on Rosebud case 03/02/2010 By Benjamin B. Pulta
(DAILY TRIBUNE) More woes await fugitive Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, as a subpoena has been handed down by prosecutors against him and other members of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) for kidnapping and serious illegal detention filed by whistleblower Mary Ong, alias “Rosebud.”
State Prosecutor George Yarte Jr. issued a subpoena against Lacson and members of PAOCTF whose names have yet to be released by the Depart-ment of Justice (DoJ).
The preliminary hearing is set for March 11 at 2 p.m.
Lacson is already in the Interpol’s Red Notice since last Feb. 11 in connection with the November 2000 double murder case of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito.
The senator left the country for Hong Kong last Jan. 5, a month before Judge Myra Garcia-Fernandez, of the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) issued a warrant of arrest against him.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), however, yesterday said Lacson is no longer in Hong Kong.
NBI Director Nestor Mantaring also informed reporters that Lacson’s departure from HongKong has been confirmed.
“He is no longer in Hong Kong and this information is confirmed. We have information that he fled to another country but this is still being verified and we can’t disclose which country it is at this time,” he said but added that the NBI still has to verify reports that Lacson is in Europe.
Lacson is on the Interpol Red List, and there is an Interpol office in The Netherlands, which could facilitate efforts of the NBI to validate such reports and coordinate with the Netherlands Interpol for information in the event Lacson goes to this country.
“I tapped the Offices of Intelligence Services, Investigative Services and Regional Operations Services to help track down the senator. The tracing of the senator is not only limited outside the country but as well here in the Philippines. I also tapped the NBI Interpol to coordinate with our counterparts,” he noted.
Last Thursday, the Justice Department started its preliminary investigation into the criminal charges for kidnapping and serious illegal detention filed against Lacson and other members of PAOCTF.
Aside from the Dacer-Corbito double case filed at the Manila RTC, Lacson is also facing kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges filed by Mary Ong, alias “Rosebud,” through the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG)-National Capital Region at the DoJ.
In their sworn-affidavit, Ong and Remis Garganera of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp), and six other witnesses said that some members of the now defunct PAOCTF were responsible in the abduction of two Chinese nationals, namely Chong Hiu Ming and Wong Kam Chong, on Dec. 30, 1998 and March 26, 1999, respectively.
At that time, Lacson was the chief of the PAOCTF.
During Thursday’s preliminary investigation, the complainants submitted documents that would form part of the prosecution’s pieces evidence. The pieces of evidence, according to the complainants, would strengthen their case to prove that the PAOCTF elements abducted and detained the foreigners. The PAOCTF suspected that the foreigners were members of a drug syndicate.
After the complaint against Lacson and other members of the PAOCTF was sworn into by Ong and other witnesses before the DoJ Prosecutors, Yarte issued subpoena for their appearance.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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