The United States government has found probable cause to extradite former Philippine police intelligence officer Michael Ray Aquino who is being linked to the November 2000 killings of publicist Salvador “Bubby" Dacer, and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito. “(T)he government of the Philippines has provided direct and circumstantial evidence that is sufficient to support a finding of probable cause," said US Attorney Paul J. Fishman in a 16-page letter to Magistrate Judge Esther Salas of the US District Court in New Jersey in Newark. In the November 2 letter, Fishman enumerated 18 pieces of evidence that could be used as basis to have Aquino extradited and charged in the Philippines. The extradition hearing is set on November 23. Aquino has until November 9 to file a reply opposing his extradition. Murder of Estrada's opponent In the same letter, the US attorney claimed that the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, where Aquino worked for, performed investigations into political opponents of Joseph Estrada, and at least on one occasion, murdered a political opponent of the then president, which was allegedly part of the PAOCTF’s special operation. The US attorney further claimed in the letter that as chief of the PAOCTF’s operations, Aquino initiated and oversaw an investigation into Dacer, described by the US attorney as a media figure who made public comments against Estrada.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV It was also claimed in the letter that Aquino ordered then police superintendent Glenn Dumlao, a subordinate member of the PAOCTF who belonged to a group known as Task Force Luzon, to investigate Dacer beginning January 1999. According to Fishman, Aquino ordered Dumlao to surreptitiously enter Dacer’s office at the Manila Hotel and take whatever documents he could get. When Dumlao hesitated in carrying out the job for fear of “being detected, Aquino instructed Dumlao to burn (the hotel) down, bomb it, just as long as their documents and computers are destroyed." However, Fishman's letter noted that Dumlao did not follow Aquino’s order and just continued with his surveillance of Dacer until his attention turned to other matters. Aquino then tasked police chief inspector Vicente Arnado to take over the duties left by Dumlao. Arnado was also from Task Force Luzon, which was then headed by police superintendent Cezar Mancao.
'Liquidate' Dacer In October 2000, Mancao allegedly overheard Aquino telling then Philippine National Police chief and PAOCTF head Panfilo Lacson that he intended to “liquidate" or kill Dacer because Estrada was “peeved at him." On November 24, 2000, Dacer and Corbito were abducted at gunpoint. Afterwards, Aquino allegedly informed Dumlao through a text message that Dacer had been abducted and that he and Teofilo Vina, another police officer, should interrogate the publicist. After Dumlao failed to “elicit any useful information from" the publicist, Aquino then ordered Dumlao “to secure any documents" from Dacer. Then senior police officer 4 Marino Soberano, another PAOCTF member, allegedly “involved in the strangulation and killing of Dacer and Corbito," was reportedly told by Dumlao and Arnado to “exterminate" the publicist and his driver because they were “criminals who committed kidnappings and carnappings." After Dacer and Corbito’s disappearance, Lacson allegedly directed Mancao to lead the investigation into the disappearance of the victims to allow “PAOCTF to control the situation by covering up the involvement of PAOCTF personnel." Vina then allegedly informed Mancao that he “had been tasked by…Aquino to get…Dacer." Mancao allegedly “understood this to mean that Aquino has tasked Vina to neutralize Dacer." Meanwhile, Dumlao, during his interview with Mancao, allegedly “blamed Aquino for (the) illegal orders." Mancao understood the orders to mean “conspiring in the abduction and murder of Dacer and Corbito."
Flee from prosecution In May 2001, Aquino allegedly followed the instruction of Lacson to flee the Philippines to avoid prosecution for the twin killings. On Aug. 3, 2001, while Mancao and Aquino were with Butch Tenorio in the US, Mancao allegedly heard Tenorio and Aquino discussing about the Dacer and Corbito murders. Mancao claimed that he heard Tenorio telling Aquino that after the latter informed him about Dacer’s death, Tenorio then told Estrada that the publicist had already been “neutralized." Tenorio was the head of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) during the Estrada administration. Also in August 2001, while staying at a hotel in Las Vegas Nevada with Aquino, Mancao allegedly heard the former blaming Vina for sloppily dumping Dacer’s car into a ravine in Cavite province. Mancao allegedly claimed that this “sloppy work" led to Aquino’s implication in the disappearance of the publicist and his driver.
- Joseph Lariosa, GMANews.TV 
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