Erap laughs off Lacson's bombshell

Former President Joseph Estrada on Tuesday said he is not threatened with Senator Panfilo Lacson's privilege speech next week where the opposition lawmaker said he would show "what kind of government official" the deposed leader was. “Meron pa bang ipapasabog sa akin? Lahat sumabog na (What else can he accuse me of? I've been accused of everything)," Estrada said in an interview aired over GMA News' “24 Oras." Estrada even dared Lacson to drop the bomb “para lalong sumikat ako (to make me more popular)." He had earlier said he is 99.99 percent sure to seek re-election in next year's national elections despite questions on its legality. Earlier in the Senate, Lacson said he would reveal the true character of Estrada as a public servant in a privilege speech on Monday.

"Ano ba talaga si Joseph Ejercito Estrada bilang isang government official. Lahat ng katotohanan ang sasabihin ko don at ito'y patutunayan ko rin (I'll reveal what kind of government official Joseph Estrada was. I can prove everything that I will say)," Lacson told reporters. Lacson was the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the short-lived Estrada presidency. Both were implicated in the killing of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000. Estrada was ousted from office in 2001 amid allegations of corruption. Both him and Lacson have repeatedly denied involvement in the Dacer-Corbito case. The rift between the two started in 2004 when Estrada picked his friend, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., over Lacson as the opposition's presidential bet in that year's elections. This however did not stop Lacson from seeking the presidency that year. Both lost to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Lacson recently urged Estrada to drop his planned re-election bid and instead focus on uniting the fragmented opposition in preparation for the 2010 elections. Estrada meanwhile said in order to unite the opposition he is willing to hold talks with Senator Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III, who is being groomed by the Liberal Party as its standard bearer for next year. "Mas mabuti nga yung nag-uusap (It's better that we talk). At least we tried to unite ourselves in the opposition side," he said. - GMANews.TV