Ping drops presidential plans a day after Mancao's return

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson announced Friday evening he was "retiring" from the 2010 presidential race a day after a former police officer linked to the Dacer-Corbito double murder case returned to the Philippines and vowed to "tell the truth." In a pre-recorded message at a leadership forum featuring prospective presidential bets at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, Lacson cited financial constraints and a faulty political system as his reason for abandoning his presidential plans. "The time has come to face the reality that the intent to lead in this land in order to do good, has become an enterprise only for those who have access to unlimited funds," he said, without making any mention of Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao II's implied plan to implicate whoever are responsible in the twin murders. Mancao, who was extradited to the Philippines from the United States, told media that he was ready to affirm what he had said in an affidavit he earlier submitted to the Department of Justice that he overheard Lacson, who was then Philippine National Police (PNP) chief in 2000, instructing Senior Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino to get rid of veteran publicist Salvador “Bubby" Dacer. Mancao claimed that it was President Joseph Estrada's order to kill Dacer, and that Lacson also wanted eliminate his nemesis, then Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya. Lacson has denied having any hand in the twin murders and claimed the issue implicating him was just being revived because of his unrelenting attacks against the Arroyo administration. Earlier in the day, his office said they were expecting the government to have hatched a "sweet deal" with Mancao as part of a move to derail his political plans. Support for other bets While backing out from his presidential plans, Lacson hinted of supporting a leader who can "best deliver our people from the bondage they now suffer." "Rest assured that in time, we will all join together to support a leader who could best deliver our people from the bondage they now suffer. That leader must have both the competence and character that are the preconditions to purposive leadership so imperative in these crossroads of the nation’s life," he said. He did not say if his support would be limited to the opposition, which currently has at least five aspirants to choose from. These are Sen. Manuel Roxas II, Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Manuel Villar, and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay. Estrada has also threatened to run if the opposition aspirants fail to agree to field a single candidate against the administration team. In his pre-recorded message, Lacson said he has come to realize that reaching out to voters, particularly those in the D and E income levels, which altogether comprise some four-fifths of the population, does not come easy. "It is most expensive in a political system which has neither strong institutions nor correct procedures," he said. The message was also posted on his website (http://www.pinglacson.net/news/54) Friday night. False democracy Lacson said what the country has today is a "feudal setup foolishly labeled as democracy," where transactional politics is entrenched both in the bureaucracy and local government units. Under such a setup, he added the poor are deluded into believing that throwing candies or giving instant noodles or occasional help in distress is the be-all and end-all of public service. "In the grind for survival, the poor forget all too often that the occasional goodies they get are mere scraps from the tables of the immoderately greedy powerful who plunder public coffers, or abuse power for self-profit," he said. Lacson admitted that he was tempted to avail of his P200-million pork barrel allocation for his campaign. "It had crossed my mind to avail of the P200-million pork barrel fund for senators just to keep up with the other candidates. But I thought better of it. In the end, integrity and honest service are more valuable," he said. He also cited a quote from Charles de Gaulle of France, who put order back in a land wracked by anarchy, that “in order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant." "Like his forebear Nostradamus, he might have foreseen the Philippine political scene of this generation," he said. "But I refuse to lie. And I refuse to purvey make-believe storyboards and saturate the airwaves with fairy tales," he added. Lacson lamented that even if he tried to communicate the truth to people given "extremely limited resources" he could raise from well-meaning friends, "the time has come to face the reality that the intent to lead in this land in order to do good, has become an enterprise only for those who have access to unlimited funds." "I bow to that reality, which is why I have chosen not to participate any more in this laudable forum of those who seek the presidency of the land. And I beg your favor that you read this message that springs from my heart," he said. Lacson appealed to the learned and the highly educated in society to share their thoughts and help guide the vulnerable 80% of the Filipino electorate to vote wisely and conscientiously, "not for their day to day personal needs, but for a country that we all love and care for." "Let us unite to support a leader who will not steal and use stolen power to advance his own interests. Thank you. Long live the Filipino people!" he said. Lacson has been blamed by some of his colleagues in the opposition for the victory of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the 2004 elections due to his refusal to yield to the more popular actor Fernando Poe Jr. He said then that the presidency was not just about popularity but the ability to lead. Poe, who placed second in the race, refused to acknowledge Arroyo's win and filed an election protest. In December of 2004, however, he died of a stroke. Lacson, who placed third, was among the first to acknowledge Arroyo's victory. - GMANews.TV