Sen. Panfilo Lacson will have his revenge when Justice Secretary Leila de Lima faces confirmation before the congressional Commission on Appointments (CA).
Lacson, who is obviously seething at De Lima’s alleged “persistence” in pinning him down in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case, on Thursday said De Lima should expect to be grilled for her supposed “competence” when she appears before the CA.
“I’m not convinced that she’s competent because of her pronouncements that are not in accordance with the law,” Lacson told reporters at a Senate press forum.
He cited De Lima’s statement that Michael Ray Aquino would be detained at the Manila City Jail once he’s extradited to Manila.
He pointed out that it’s the courts that decide where to detain a person, not the Department of Justice, and hence, De Lima should “not arrogate this authority unto herself.”
Aquino, Lacson’s aide at the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), is a co-accused in the Dacer-Corbito case. The United States government has approved his extradition to the Philippines which could signal a reinvestigation of the double murders.
Lacson said he would also question De Lima for allegedly preempting President Aquino’s actions, in stating that she expected the President to sustain her recommendations on certain issues.
Lacson is particularly incensed at De Lima’s actions with regard to the Dacer-Corbito killings.
The senator, who disappeared in January 2010 to escape arrest, emerged last March after the Court of Appeals court ruled that there was no probable cause to charge him for the 2000 murder of publicist Salvador Dacer and the latter’s driver, Emmanuel Corbito.
The Supreme Court has junked a petition appealing the appellate court ruling.
De Lima then said the justice department would conduct a reinvestigation to determine whether Lacson was liable for the killings.
She has been quoted as saying that the expectation is that Michael Ray Aquino would testify on the possible involvement of the PAOCTF in the crime.
“She said she would summon me once Michael Ray Aquino arrives. On what ground?” Lacson said.
The senator said that Aquino’s “return is favorable to me”.
Aquino has executed an affidavit declaring that Lacson had no hand in the killings, disputing the testimony of another former PAOCTF officer, Cezar Mancao.
Meanwhile, those eager to know where Lacson was hiding during the year that he was a fugitive will have to wait for two more years to get it straight from the horse’s mouth.
The senator said he would reveal his whereabouts— and more—in a tell-all book he would publish after his term expires in 2013. With a report from Christian Esguerra