Cezar Mancao's March 1, 2007 affidavit

CEZAR O. MANCAO'S MARCH 1, 2007 AFFIDAVIT I, CEZAR O. MANCAO II, hereby make the following statement voluntarily and of my own free will. I was not pressured, coerced or promised anything in return for this statement. At all times prior to making this statement, I. I am 45 years old, married, and have four children. I currently reside with my family in Florida. I was born in the Philippines and graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1986. After graduation I served in Philippine law enforcement until I left the country in 2001. From 1986 to 1991 I served with the Philippine Constabulary as a second and first lieutenant. In 1991 the Philippine constabulary was integrated into the Philippine National Police where I served in various supervisory positions ranging from Senior Inspector to Senior Superintendent which is the equivalent of an Army Colonel. II. I first met Michael Ray Aquino during my cadet days at the Philippine Military Academy. Michael Ray Aquino graduated two years after me in 1988. Michael Ray Aquino and I first worked together in 1993 Joint operation to neutralize a criminal syndicate known as the “Red Scorpion Group." I was working with the Philippine National Police and Michael Aquino was working with the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission headed by Panfilo Lacson. In May of 1995, Michael Aquino and I were again united in another joint operation against a gang of armed robbers known as the “Kuratong Baleleng Group." As a result of this operation several members of the joint task force were accused of crimes as serious as murder. Michael Aquino, Panfilo Lacson, and I were among those accused. All charges were ultimately dismissed by the courts and approximately two years later in 1997, Michael Aquino and I were both assigned to “Special Project Alpha" where we worked closely together for about one year under the supervision of Panfilo Lacson. During this time, Panfilo Lacson was known for his very close-ties to Vice-President Joseph Estrada who would soon win the presidential election. In July of 1998, then president Joseph Estrada, formed the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) with Panfilo Lacson as its leader. Michael Aquino held the position of Chief of Operations and I was assigned as Chief Task Group – Luzon. III. In November 2000, Michael Aquino and I were embroiled in controversy in a case known as “Dacer-Corbito." Bubby Dacer was a journalist who had made public comments against President Estrada and Corbito was his driver. Dacer’s car was dumped into a ravine in Cavite Province and a murder investigation ensued with Aquino and myself among those suspected of involvement. In the midst of the murder investigation in February 2001, President Estrada was removed from office and the PAOCTF was disbanded and its former members were reassigned to far flung areas of the country. Sometime August 2001 in Las Vegas hotel, Michael Aquino was blaming fellow officer Teofilo Vina sloppily dumping Dacer’s car into a ravine in Cavite where it was easily discovered. Aquino was complaining that the task had not been carried out correctly. This sloppy work resulted in an investigation which later implicated Michael Aquino in Dacer and Corbito’s disappearance. A. After Dacer and Corbito’s disappearance, I was tasked to investigate the case. During my investigation I spoke with Teofilo Vina and Glenn Dumlao. I called Vina and asked him if he had any involvement in the disappearance and he told me that he had been asked by Michael Aquino to get Buuby Dacer. I understood this to mean that Aquino had asked Vina to neutralize Dacer. When speaking to Glen Dumlao about Michael Aquino’s possible involvement, Mr. Dumlao blamed Aquino for illegal orders. I understood the illegal orders to be conspiring in the abduction and murder of Dacer and Corbito. IV. In May of 2001 Panfilo Lacson was elected Senator. Michael Aquino acted as a campaign coordinator for Lacson by overseeing campaign contributions, posters, and other campaign media. Shortly after winning the seat a meeting was held where Panfilo Lacson advised Aquino and I that we should leave the country. He told us that the new presidential administration would come after us for the Dacer-Corbito case in an effort to destroy Lacson’s reputation negatively affect Lacson’s possible chances of a presidential bid in 2004. On July 1, 2001 I followed Lacson’s instructions, left my family, and flew from the Philippines to Hong Kong where I met up with Michael Aquino. From there the two of us flew to the United States where we traveled and lived together for the next three months. In September 2001, I settled in Florida and Michael Ray settled in New Jersey. Michael Aquino and I kept in touch with each other and met with Senator Lacson several times over the next two years including meetings in Washington DC (October ’01), New York (January ’02), Los Angeles and Las Vegas (January ’03), and Miami (September ’03). V. It was during this September ’03 meeting in Miami that I heard Senator Lacson instructing Michael Ray Aquino to search for U.S. real estate properties in the name of Jose Miguel Arroyo, the husband of the Philippine Prtesident, Gloria Arroyo, Lacson believed that Jose Miguel Arroyo had received millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks and was investigating the money in U.S. real estate. This was commonly known as the “Jose Pidal Scandal." This information would be extremely helpful in discrediting the current administration. One day after lunch, Michael Aquino brought me to Lacson’s room in the hotel. Lacson then asked Aquino what he got and Aquino showed Lacson some documents with addresses of suspected properties. Lacson reviewed the documents and appeared unsatisfied. He asked Aquino to continue searching and to search for various aliases used by Miguel Arroyo as well. After carefully reviewing the facts and being fully aware of the consequence of my decision, I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR/AFFIRM that the facts stated are true and correct. ______________________ ______________ Signature Date State of Florida County of Broward Sworn to and subscribed before me this 1st day of March 2007, by CEZAR O. MANCAO II, who is personally known to me. ______________________________ Notary Signature