Lacson accepts accuser’s apology

Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

After getting an apology from former Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) Chief Victor Corpus, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said he hopes other people, including some media personalities, who had maligned him in the past, would follow suit.

“Yes, I was informed that ex-ISAFP Chief Victor Corpus has finally admitted publicly that he had unjustly wronged me by being taken for a ride by a ‘fraud,’ obviously referring to Angelo “Ador” Mawanay who himself had retracted 13 years earlier, even pointing to those who were responsible in suborning him to commit perjury against me,” Lacson said in a text message on Wednesday.

“In the spirit of fairness and (balanced) reporting, think it is but proper and decent for those who relied heavily on their statements, as the central characters responsible for incessantly maligning my reputation to follow suit, or at least make amends, not pecuniarily, but simply to restore the moral damage they have done to my dignity and honor,” he said.

This, Lacson said, would allow everyone concerned to move on from that “ugly and cruel episode.”

Corpus, who had linked Lacson on illegal drugs, and other illegal activities, offered his public apology to the senator in a message dated April 6, 2017, which he read in a television show over the weekend.

“This grievous mistake that I have committed maligned the reputation of Sen. Panfilo Lacson. With this grave error on my part, I humbly and sincerely offer my public apology to Sen. Lacson and his entire family,” the retired military officer said.

Lacson accepted Corpus’ apology, which he said was “long in coming.”

“It’s long in coming. Nevertheless, I still appreciate his gesture of humility and courage in doing so. Needless to say, I accept his apology,” the senator added. IDL