Dacer daughters link Erap in murder case

The United States-based daughters of slain publicist Salvador “Bubby" Dacer are set to formally indict former President Joseph Estrada in the murder case of their father. Demetrio Custodio, counsel of Dacer’s children, on Sunday said Carina Lim, Sabina Reyes, Emily Hungerford and Amparo Henson had already signed a draft amended complaint linking Estrada to the nine-year-old case. The four last week sworn to the veracity of the complaint before the consul generals in New York and California where they are now based, according to Custodio. He said the signed documents should be on its way back to his law office in Manila so that it may be filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) possibly this week. Dacer, along with his driver Emmanuel Corbito, were killed in November 2000 by men believed to be members of the now defunct President Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) under then national police chief and now Senator Panfilo Lacson. Custodio did not elaborate on the contents of the complaints, saying only that they relied heavily on the testimony of former Police Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao II before Manila Regional Trial Court. “There was clear indication in Mancao’s testimony in court of President Estrada’s involvement in the case," Custodio said, citing Mancao’s September 3 testimony. During the hearing before the sala of Judge Myra Fernandez of the Manila RTC branch 18, the prosecution asked Mancao who were the other personalities involved or may have knowledge about the operation to kill Dacer. The former policeman replied: “I can say some people who are involved or have knowledge about the operation were then President Erap, Joseph Estrada, because Michael Ray Aquino told me this in his office." Lacson, in a privilege speech last month, said Estrada had personally micro-managed the operations of PAOCTF, bypassing him in the process. The Dacer children earlier filed a murder complaint against Senator Panfilo Lacson before the Department of Justice, which has just concluded its preliminary investigation. Estrada – as well as Lacson – has repeatedly denied involvement in the case. - GMANews.TV