Former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. (File Photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lamented the collapse of “political reconciliation” talks between her and Senator Panfilo Lacson during her presidency in what she admitted to be false accusations leveled against the former national police chief.
In her recently launched memoir entitled “Deus Ex Machina,” Arroyo looked back on the incident that made Lacson “an enemy instead of an ally.”
In 2001, Lacson was accused of maintaining hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bank accounts from his alleged involvement in criminal activities when he was then the head of the Philippine National Police.
But Arroyo, in her book, said this claim against Lacson “could not be substantiated.”
“During the 2001 elections, Lacson won the 10th out of 12 Senate seats, and we discussed a political reconciliation,” read a portion of Arroyo’s memoir, which was launched on Wednesday.
“But our talks collapsed due to the incident involving whistleblower ‘Ador Mawanay’—later revealed as Antonio Luis Marquez—who fed AFP intelligence chief Victor Navarro Corpus information on foreign bank accounts allegedly owned by Ping Lacson. The information that was made public could not be substantiated. I was told that years later, Corpus apologized for the incident,” she added.
According to Arroyo, there was “no deliberate attempt” to “spread fake information” against Lacson.
“During those toxic times of intrigue, allegations in affidavits and counter-allegations in counter-affidavits, dirty tricks, cellphone monitoring and spying and whatnot, the principal players on both sides of the political war, whether administration or opposition, often had in their possession raw or outright fake information, and as a result truth often fell by the wayside,” she wrote in her book.
“I can only say that there was no deliberate attempt to use Mawanay to spread fake information about Lacson. If Victor Corpus felt compelled to apologize to Lacson, it may diminish Vic’s reputation as an intelligence chief, but it enhances the luster of his reputation for being a man of integrity, an officer and a gentleman. Sadly, the result of the whole affair is that Ping Lacson became an enemy instead of an ally,” she added.
Marquez eventually recanted his claims against Lacson and apologized. Corpus also apologized to Lacson in public television as the allegations against the senator were all later proven baseless.
‘Better than never’
When asked about what Arroyo disclosed in her memoir, Lacson said “late is always better than never.”
“For nine long years, under her regime, all I had been hoping and praying for was to get back my dignity and honor,” he told INQUIRER.net in an online message on Thursday.
Arroyo, Lacson said, had long been forgiven.
“Whether or not she was sincere and truthful in saying that there was no deliberate attempt to spread fake information about my person is no longer that important to me since I have already forgiven her a long time ago as I did to all those who maligned and besmirched my reputation,” the senator said.
“If it’s any consolation, she taught me never to unjustly treat anybody knowing first hand how it is to be at the receiving end of such malevolent persecution by somebody in a position of authority and power,” he added.
In a separate tweet, Lacson gave Arroyo credit for having the “decency and courage to admit that she publicly and unjustly accused me of various crimes based on false information.”
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