Arturo Lascañas —NIKKO DIZON
Of all people, retired SPO3 Arturo Lascañas said he expects Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson to understand his situation, noting that the latter himself had also fled the country for fear of his safety.
“Hinanap s’ya ng awtoridad at umalis s’ya dahil sa pangamba sa kanyang safety. Marami din ang naniwala sa kanya na tama ang kanyang ginagawa kaya maraming tumulong sa kanyang pag-alis,” Lascañas said of Lacson in a text message forwarded to reporters on Tuesday by a staff member of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
(Authorities looked for him, but he left for fear of his safety. Many also believed in him and so they helped him in his departure.)
It was Trillanes who facilitated Lascañas’ public confession last February 20 where he confirmed the existence of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS), and accused President Rodrigo Duterte of allegedly paying the group to kill criminals and enemies when the latter was still mayor of Davao City.
“Ganun din sa akin. Maraming naniniwala at nagmamalasakit kaya nila ako tinutulungan,” added Lascañas, who left for Singapore Saturday night.
(My case is similar. Many also believe in me that is why they are helping me.)
READ: Davao hit man flees
Lacson went in hiding in January 2010, shortly after an arrest warrant was issued against him in connection with the December 2000 killing of Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and the PR agent’s driver, Emmanuel Corbito. He surfaced in March 2011.
The confessed DDS leader issued the statement after Lacson questioned on Monday who spent for Lascañas and his family’s trips and accommodations in Singapore.
READ: Lacson: Lascañas, family living in Singapore; who’s paying tab?
Lacson also disclosed that Lascañas’ family had left for Singapore even before the retired officer testified for the second time in the Senate last March 6.
“It may be worth to find out who spent for his and his family’s trips and accommodations in Singapore which is an expensive place to stay. Contrary to reports that he left quietly, I don’t see that since he allowed himself to be accompanied by a news reporter,” the senator said in a text message.
“Hindi ba ninyo alam na nauna nang umalis for Singapore ‘yung family niya even before he testified for the second time sa Senate? Kung sino gumastos dun, eh di malamang ‘yun din nag sponsor sa kanya,” Lacson added but did not elaborate.
(Didn’t you know that his family left for Singapore before he testified for the second time in the Senate? Whoever is sponsoring him must have also paid for that trip.)
Sought for comment on Lascañas’ statement, Lacson said he understands the former’s predicament and was not blaming or criticizing him for leaving the country after his accusations against Duterte.
“Anybody who feels persecuted and physically threatened is entitled to make a personal decision on self-preservation,” he said in a text message.
“In my case, as I stated when I resurfaced after being proven innocent of the trumped up charges thrown against me by the Arroyo administration, I chose to fight my legal battle under our country’s judicial system based on existing jurisprudence although I refused to give my enemies and detractors the pleasure of seeing me behind bars even for a second for a crime I did not commit.”
Lacson said he would never regret his decision because he felt it was the right thing to do given the circumstances at that time.
“If Lascañas feels the same, so be it,” he said.
“If I asked which group is financing his and his family’s trip and accommodations in an expensive place like Singapore, it was in the context of an obvious destabilization efforts against Pres. Duterte since nobody seems to admit being involved in the scheme,” the senator added.
INQUIRER.net tried to get a statement from Trillanes to no avail. IDL
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