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Mancao affidavit points to Lacson as slay mastermind


DOUBLE SLAYS. With the expected return of former policeman Cezar Mancao II, families of Salvador Dacer and Emmanuel Corbito (pictured here) hope the truth will finally come out. GMA News TV Grab
MANILA, Philippines - The highly-anticipated return of former police Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao II raises hopes that the brains behind the abduction and killing of veteran publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer may finally be unmasked. Almost nine years have passed since Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito were killed, but to date no one has been prosecuted. On Nov. 24, 2000, Dacer and Corbito were abducted in Makati by armed men believed to be members of the now-defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF).
WHO'S WHO
Former Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao II: Head of the Task Group Luzon of the now defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), whose members allegedly abducted and killed Dacer and Corbito in November 2000.
Former Superintendent Glenn Dumlao: Dumlao was Task Group Luzon’s Deputy for Operations. He admitted in an affidavit he executed in June 2001 that he conducted the tactical interrogation on Dacer hours after his abduction. He linked Aquino and Lacson to the killings, which he also said had the nod of Malacañang. In his second affidavit executed in May 2003, he admitted that he was tortured to pin down the said personalities to the crime.
Former Senior Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino: Mancao, in his Feb. 13, 2009 affidavit, alleged that Aquino received orders from Lacson to “neutralize" former police Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya. According to Mancao’s affidavit, Aquino suggested that Dacer be “neutralized" first because “Erap was already peeved" at the PR man.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson: Then Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Lacson concurrently headed the PAOCTF. He is allegedly the brains behind the twin killings, but he had repeatedly maintained he had nothing to do with Dacer and Corbito’s death.
Former President Joseph Estrada: Mancao mentions in his Feb. 13, 2009 affidavit that the “special operations" supposedly to kill Dacer in 2000 was approved by Malacañang or Estrada’s office. Estrada had since denied involvement in the crime, saying Dacer was his comrade. Before his death, Dacer was reportedly in possession of documents implicating Estrada to the 1999 BW Resources stock price fixing scandal.
Former Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya: Berroya was Lacson’s long-time nemesis. Mancao said in his Feb. 13, 2009 affidavit that Lacson wanted Dacer and Berroya “liquidated" simultaneously, but Aquino said Dacer should be finished off first because “Erap" was already peeved at him. - GMANews.TV
Later that night, the two victims were allegedly strangled to death and their bodies burned to ashes. All that remained were fragments of their teeth that were later recovered in Indang town in Cavite. At the time, Mancao headed the PAOCTF’s Task Group Luzon, whose members he said took part in "special operations," one of which allegedly turned out to be the twin killings of Dacer and Corbito. All these were mentioned in an affidavit he executed on Feb. 13, 2009, which links high-profile personalities, including former President Joseph Estrada and then concurrent National Police and PAOCTF chief turned senator Panfilo Lacson. At the height of investigations of the crime in July 2001, Mancao fled to the United States. However, his extradition back to the Philippines was decided only in March of this year. Although various factors had delayed his extradition, Philippine government officials are now certain that there’s no stopping Mancao’s return. Carina Dacer, the slain publicist’s daughter, says Mancao’s return to the Philippines is long overdue. She believes that in the imminent reopening of the double murder case of her father and Corbito, Mancao will tell all and point to who masterminded her father’s death. But what is there to tell? Who is there to pin down? With Mancao’s looming testimonies, can the wheels of justice finally turn for Dacer and Corbito? Dacer ordered ‘liquidated’ Based on Mancao’s Feb. 13, 2009 affidavit, former President Joseph Estrada created the PAOCTF in July 1998. The task force was headed by then Chief Supt. Panfilo Lacson, who eventually became Philippine National Police chief and was subsequently elected senator in 2001. Former Senior Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino, a known protege of Lacson, headed PAOCTF's Operations Division while former Superintendent Glenn Dumlao assisted Mancao as PAOCTF Task Group Luzon's deputy chief for operations. Mancao recounts that Aquino utilized his men in "special operations" to "neutralize" a media man critical of Estrada. Mancao added that the operations had the nod of Malacañang, or the Office of the President. Mancao said the media man was referred to as “Delta," whom he later identified as Dacer. Mancao also said that in October 2000, he heard Lacson order Aquino to “liquidate" then police Chief Superintendent Renaldo Berroya (now an assistant secretary at the Department of Transportation and Communications), Lacson’s long-time nemesis. This is elaborated in his affidavit, which reads: "Sometime in October 2000, I heard Lacson order Aquino to liquidate Berroya, his public-known nemesis, saying: ‘Noy, tirahin nyo na si Bero.’ Lacson said this while we were on board his car en route to a Japanese restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan, for lunch." "I was seated in the front seat of the car then driven by Sgt. Oximoso (‘Oxy’ as we usually called him), while Aquino and Lacson sat at the back. Aquino responded to Lacson that he intends to neutralize or liquidate Delta first because Erap was already peeved at him, saying: "Tapusin muna namin si Delta, Sir, kasi naiirita na si Bigote sa kaniya.’" "Delta" referred to Dacer while “Bigote" was the commonly-known pseudonym of Estrada. Lacson, however, insisted that Aquino operate on both Berroya and Dacer simultaneously. Dacer and Corbito were then abducted and killed in November 2000 while Berroya remained unharmed. Mancao added that Lacson subsequently ordered him to head the investigation on the twin killings "since doing so will allow PAOCTF to control the situation by covering up the involvement of PAOCTF personnel." "I also required all investigating police stations to forward to us all relevant documents, making us the repository of these documents, and thus enabled us to cover-up for the involved PAOCTF operatives," he said. In January 2001, Estrada was ousted when the military leadership withdrew its support from him, joining the tens of thousands of people gathered at the EDSA Shrine. The uprising propelled then Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the presidency. In May 2001, Lacson won in the senatorial elections. Shortly after, Mancao's affidavit said that Lacson met with him and Aquino and asked them to leave the country because, as stated in the affidavit, the newly-installed Arroyo administration would go after those behind the Dacer-Corbito killings. Mancao quoted Lacson as assuring them that he would "take care of us." In July 2001, Mancao fled to the United States. "Lacson repeatedly traveled to the US from October 2001 up to September 2003 and met with us in all of these occasions," he added.
Who’s afraid of Cezar Mancao II? Lacson and Estrada have both denied any involvement in the Dacer-Corbito killings. Estrada has repeatedly said in media interviews that he could not possibly order the killing of Dacer, whom he claimed was his close friend. Estrada was godfather during the wedding of Dacer's daughter. Lacson, for his part, said that the Arroyo administration is merely using the double murder case in a political vendetta against him. Senator Francis Escudero, a critic of the Arroyo administration, has likewise expressed fears that the return of Mancao could be used against the political opposition. Malacañang officials, however, have been insisting that the return of Mancao and his willingness to reveal what he knows about the Dacer-Corbito killings is not in any way politically-motivated. In particular, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez has been stressing that the testimony of Mancao, as well as that of Dumlao, could very well lead to the resolution of the Dacer-Corbito killings. - GMANews.TV
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