Manila court orders arrest of Senator Panfilo Lacson

A Manila court on Friday ordered the arrest of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who flew out of the country last January 5, two days before he was formally charged in court in connection with the November 2000 killings of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito. Judge Myra Garcia-Fernandez of the the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18, who is handling the double murder case, issued the arrest warrant, according to a court staff who spoke to GMANews.TV on condition of anonymity. "Nagpadala na kami ng notice sa Department of Justice (DOJ), sa National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and to both parties," the staff said. GMA News reporter JP Soriano said the NBI, who was tasked to make the arrest, has received the warrant and shown it to reporters at the NBI headquarters.

The opposition senator left for Hong Kong last month, complaining about "harassment" from the government over the double-murder case. In a statement, Lacson said his departure was not an indication of guilt. It was not known whether Lacson is still in Hong Kong or if he has gone to another country. On Thursday, the NBI belied reports that the senator is already in Australia. Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera told ANC television on Friday that she does "not have any information" on Lacson's whereabouts, but said the senator would be arrested as soon as he sets foot in the country. Asked if the senator can now be considered a fugitive, Devanadera said, "Yes, because we already have the warrant of arrest and the law is after him now." Lacson cannot invoke parliamentary immunity because the penalty (of the charge against him) is more than six years. Article 6, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution states that: "A senator or member of the House of Representatives shall, in all offenses punishable by not more than six years imprisonment, be privileged from arrest while the Congress is in session. No Member shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in the Congress or in any committee thereof." The 'pattern' Alex Avisado, Lacson's legal counsel, said he has not yet received a copy of the arrest warrant but said that once they get it, his client would contest it in court. "Handa po kami... magpa-file po kami ng motion for reconsideration," he said in an interview on radio dzBB. Avisado said the senator had noticed "the pattern" in DOJ actions indicating that the agency wanted him arrested. "Hindi pa lumalabas ang desisyon, sinasabi na ng DOJ na puwede i-extradite si Sen. Lacson at kanselahin ang passport niya. Para bang hinihintay na lang nila lumabas ang arrest warrant," said Avisado. In case their motion for reconsideration does not prosper, Avisado said they will file a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals, asking the court to issue a temporary restraining order on the enforcement of the arrest warrant. The issuance of the arrest warrant came a day after former police officer Cezar Mancao II on Thursday asked Lacson, who was his former superior, to come out in the open. "As a fellow former police officer, I am appealing to my former superior to submit himself to the judicial process in proving his innocence, instead of fleeing the jurisdiction of the Philippine courts," Cezar Mancao II said in a statement. "In order for the justice system to continue functioning, it is not enough that the innocent be freed, but that the guilty – no matter how rich and powerful – should not evade punishment," he added. Mancao’s affidavit became the basis of the complaint that Dacer's daughters filed before the Department of Justice, which found probable cause to indict Lacson for the twin killings. But two days before the DOJ filed the double murder charges at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court last Jan. 7, 2010, Lacson had already fled the country. For his part, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile assured that the chamber will not stop the serving of warrant of arrest against Lacson. "We cannot interfere with the serving of the warrant of arrest because that is the action of our judicial system...we are not going to resist or to obstruct the administration of justice in our country," he said in a television interview. Enrile said they will see to it that the rights of Lacson are respected. "I'm sure he is ready to answer the charges and as far as the Senate is concerned, of course, we will give assistance due to a fellow senator," he said. Enrile reiterated his call to Lacson to "come back and face the issue squarely." Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said it will now depend on the lawyers of Lacson. He added that they can ask for bail even though the double murder case is non-bailable. "Nasa sa hukuman na ang kaso kaya laro na ng mga abugado niya kung ano ang gagawin nila. Ang double murder kahit hindi pwedeng magpiyansa, maaari din kung kulang ang ebidenisya," he said in a text message to reporters. Lacson left the country on January 5 for Hong Kong. He was never seen in the Senate since it resumed session on January 18. - with reports from Amita Legaspi/RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV