Erap, Mancao snub each other in lawyer’s birthday party
SOPHIA M. DEDACE, GMANews.TV
11/10/2009 | 10:29 PM
For the first time since he was extradited from the United States last June, former police officer Cezar Mancao II crossed paths with former president Joseph Estrada, whom he linked to the killing of veteran publicist Salvador “Bubby" Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in 2000.
Both Mancao and Estrada attended the birthday party of lawyer Ferdinand Topacio on Monday night but were noticeably ignoring each other.
Topacio is Mancao’s legal counsel in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case. He is also the lawyer of the militant transport group Pasang-Masda, of which Estrada is an honorary chairman.
Estrada, who arrived first, looked stumped when Mancao arrived, according to Pia Arcangel-Halili’s report on QTV’s Balitanghali on Tuesday. The deposed leader said had he known Mancao would be in the same party, he would not have attended.
“Kung alam ko lang, hindi sana ako pumunta. Kaya nga ‘di ako lumapit (If I only knew, I wouldn’t have come here. That’s why I didn’t go near him)," Estrada told reporters.
But Mancao said Estrada waved at him. “Ganoon lang kami, sign, hand signals (We just gave hand signals)," he said.
The report said Mancao appeared awkward with Estrada, who sat in the same table. The report added that Mancao greeted the party’s attendees, except Estrada.
Topacio explained why he invited the two personalities in his party. “Wala akong malisya, walang pulitika (There is no malice. There is no politics here)."
Mancao was a ranking official at the now defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force headed by Philippine National Police chief and now Senator Panfilo Lacson. Members of the PAOCTF allegedly carried out Dacer and Corbito’s killing on Nov. 24, 2000.
At the height of the investigation in 2001, Mancao fled to the United States. He was only extradited last June 4, 2009.
In an affidavit he executed on Feb. 14, 2009, Mancao claimed he heard Lacson order former police Chief Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino to “neutralize" a certain Bero – who Mancao said was former Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya, Lacson’s long-time nemesis.
According to the affidavit, Lacson said Bero must be killed simultaneously with “Delta" (Dacer) because “Bigote" was already peeved at him. Mancao said Bigote was Estrada.
"Lacson however insisted that Aquino rather operate on both Berroya and Dacer simultaneously, saying ‘Ipagsabay mo na at tingnan natin kung sino na ang mauuna,’ which obviously meant that Aquino operate on Dacer and Berroya at the same time and to just see who between them is killed first."
Both Lacson and Estrada had repeatedly denied having any involvement in Dacer and Corbito’s killings. - GMANews.TV
Both Mancao and Estrada attended the birthday party of lawyer Ferdinand Topacio on Monday night but were noticeably ignoring each other.
Topacio is Mancao’s legal counsel in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case. He is also the lawyer of the militant transport group Pasang-Masda, of which Estrada is an honorary chairman.
Estrada, who arrived first, looked stumped when Mancao arrived, according to Pia Arcangel-Halili’s report on QTV’s Balitanghali on Tuesday. The deposed leader said had he known Mancao would be in the same party, he would not have attended.
“Kung alam ko lang, hindi sana ako pumunta. Kaya nga ‘di ako lumapit (If I only knew, I wouldn’t have come here. That’s why I didn’t go near him)," Estrada told reporters.
But Mancao said Estrada waved at him. “Ganoon lang kami, sign, hand signals (We just gave hand signals)," he said.
The report said Mancao appeared awkward with Estrada, who sat in the same table. The report added that Mancao greeted the party’s attendees, except Estrada.
Topacio explained why he invited the two personalities in his party. “Wala akong malisya, walang pulitika (There is no malice. There is no politics here)."
Mancao was a ranking official at the now defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force headed by Philippine National Police chief and now Senator Panfilo Lacson. Members of the PAOCTF allegedly carried out Dacer and Corbito’s killing on Nov. 24, 2000.
At the height of the investigation in 2001, Mancao fled to the United States. He was only extradited last June 4, 2009.
In an affidavit he executed on Feb. 14, 2009, Mancao claimed he heard Lacson order former police Chief Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino to “neutralize" a certain Bero – who Mancao said was former Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya, Lacson’s long-time nemesis.
According to the affidavit, Lacson said Bero must be killed simultaneously with “Delta" (Dacer) because “Bigote" was already peeved at him. Mancao said Bigote was Estrada.
"Lacson however insisted that Aquino rather operate on both Berroya and Dacer simultaneously, saying ‘Ipagsabay mo na at tingnan natin kung sino na ang mauuna,’ which obviously meant that Aquino operate on Dacer and Berroya at the same time and to just see who between them is killed first."
Both Lacson and Estrada had repeatedly denied having any involvement in Dacer and Corbito’s killings. - GMANews.TV
