NBI tries to detain Mancao but De Lima intervenes

(Updated 9:36 pm) The lawyer of former Philippine National Police (PNP) Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao III accused the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of harassment on Saturday for attempting to take his client into custody the night before. Mancao's legal counsel Ferdinand Topacio said detaining Mancao at the NBI headquarters in Manila would be in violation of "the terms and conditions of the Witness Protection Program signed by my client with the Department of Justice when he entered the program last year." Under the Witness Protection Program (WPP) agreement, Mancao — who is linked to the massacre of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito, in November 2000 — will be kept in a secret safehouse with his family and secured only by an elite team from the NBI. De Lima intervenes Mancao's transfer to the NBI, however, did not push through after Justice Secretary Leila de Lima stepped in. "Yes I got that report [of the planned transfer] and a call from Col. Mancao. So I intervened," De Lima said. The NBI is an attached agency under the DOJ. Topacio lauded De Lima for her intervention and "for showing circumspection and statesmanship in honoring the DOJ’s deal with Mancao during the previous administration. She is a decent and honorable person." Topacio suspected that having his client transferred to an NBI facility was an attempt at "intimidating" and "pressuring" his client, especially since Mancao was made a state witness in the murder case in July 2009. 'Squeeze tactics' "There seem to be squeeze tactics being employed on my client, who has expressed to me that he fears for his life, especially if he is to be detained at the NBI, where the leadership consists of people closely identified with Sen. Panfilo Lacson," the lawyer said. In a radio interview on Saturday, Demetrio Custodio, legal counsel for the Dacers, also expressed alarm over the Friday night incident. "It's very surprising that this time this is happening. I'm worried this might be part of an orchestrated set of activities meant to affect the case," said Custodio. Newly-installed NBI chief Magtanggol Gatdula, a former police general, was once Lacson's subordinate at the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force. NBI chief justifies attempt In a separate radio report, Gatdula justified the NBI's attempt to bring Mancao to its headquarters by saying that even if he is already a state witness, Mancao is still considered a suspect in the crime as the Manila court handling the case has yet to issue a resolution. The NBI chief also said that, with a new administration under President Benigno Aquino III, there is also a need to change the privileges that individuals used to enjoy in previous leaderships. Meanwhile, NBI Deputy Director for Intelligence Services lawyer Ruel Lasala said that the NBI was only trying to ensure Mancao’s safety, since he is the only remaining potential witness in the Dacer-Corbito slay. “He is both an accused and potential witness. He cannot afford to be on mobile (moving) as there could be threat against his life. We served the warrant of arrest on him after he was extradited back to the country. He is the only remaining potential witness who tagged Senator Panfilo Lacson," he said. Apart from Mancao, 21 others have been implicated and charged for the crime, including former Senior Supt. Michael Ray Aquino and former Supt. Glenn Dumlao. The three police officers fled to the United States at the height of investigations in July 2001 on the high-profile crime. In June 2009, Mancao returned to the Philippines after a US court ordered him extradited. Lacson's whereabouts still unknown In a February 2009 affidavit, Mancao implicated Lacson and a certain "Bigote" — thought to be former President Joseph Estrada — in the crimes, although both Lacson and Estrada had repeatedly denied involvement in the slays. Lacson fled the country in January before the Department of Justice (DOJ) could indict him for the Dacer-Corbito killings before Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18. To this day, Lacson has yet to be arrested, with his whereabouts remaining unknown to authorities. Gatdula — also a former Quezon City police director — had earlier assured the public that his former boss, Lacson, would receive no special treatment if ever he is finally arrested. —TJD/ACC/JV, GMANews.TV