Lacson snubs DOJ, won't name coddlers

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday said he will take to the grave the names of Filipino "coddlers" who helped him evade the law for the past 14 months.


Speaking to ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda", Lacson rejected Justice Secretary Leila de Lima's suggestion that he name his coddlers and reveal his whereabouts since January 2010.

"Nakapangako kasi ako sa tao kasi sinabi ko dadalhin ko na sa hukay yung ugnayan namin nung mga taong nakasama namin doon. I'd rather keep my word," he said.

Lacson said there is no law that compels him to come clean and reveal his hiding places in the past 14 months.

He said de Lima should instead question law enforcement agencies whose job was to find him since he went into hiding last year.

Lacson went into hiding in January last year a month before a local court issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with the November 2000 murder of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito. He denied the charges and blamed political persecution by the Arroyo government for the case.

He surfaced last Saturday after the Court of Appeals junked the arrest warrant.

The senator on Monday said he went to different countries to escape detection after his name was placed in the red notice of the International Police (Interpol). He denied speculation that he had been hiding in the Philippines all along.

Am I friend or foe?

Lacson said he has serious doubts if he is still considered an ally by the Aquino administration especially with the way his case was dragged on.

He said the Department of Justice did not lift the arrest warrant despite a CA resolution on February 3 that junked the probable cause finding in the Dacer-Corbito case.

"The arrest warrant had no leg to stand on because it was based on the probable cause. Why ask if the resolution was immediately executory? Is that how you treat an ally or an enemy?" he said.

He also said he is surprised by the justice secretary's determination to pin him down or go after his coddlers. He noted that the DOJ has no jurisdiction on people outside the country.

"We have no history, animosity or encounter before she became secretary of justice. Bakit nakatuon masyado, bakit gigil na gigil na pahirapan ako? Hanggang ngayon wala pa ako sagot," he said.

Asked if he still feels like an ally of President Aquino, he said: "Ang pakiramdam ko sa ngayon hindi nga e. Tinatanong ko mismo sarili ko wag nang tratuhing alyado, tignan na lang bilang isang pangkaraniwang mamamayan naghahanap ng hustisya. Malinaw naman hindi pwedeng mas mataas ang DOJ kaysa korte. Dapat tumalima sila sa order ng korte."

He also revealed that he has yet to talk to President Benigno Aquino III since his return. “Kung hindi naman ako iniimbitahan para kausapin, hindi naman siguro ako magprepresenta na makipag-usap," he said.

Cooking with Ping

Lacson admitted that the most difficult part in hiding is not being with his family in times of need.

“I felt so helpless, na kailangan ako ng pamilya ko, may mga problema na nangyayari and yet, wala ako dun to lend a hand,” he said.

His wife, Alice, had open heart surgery when Lacson was in hiding. The separation of son Panfilo Lacson Jr. from actress-wife Jodi Santamaria was also first reported when Lacson was away.

Lacson said he resorted to doing household chores while he was out of the country, such as cooking and washing the dishes.

He said that he learned to cook by downloading recipes from the Internet.

ABS-CBN’s "Umagang Kay Ganda" gave the senator a chance to show off his cooking skills. But when he saw that the ingredients are not what he was accustomed to, he poked fun at the hosts.

“Hindi ganito ang sinasabi ng Google,” the senator quipped.

source: abs cbn