‘Dedicated’ state prosecutor ‘bothered’ by work before death — De Lima

Prior to his death by heart attack on Thursday, Senior State Prosecutor Leo Dacera III seemed troubled and withdrawn because of work-related matters, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said. De Lima told reporters that it was possible that Dacera, who was part of the panel of prosecutors in the high-profile Maguindanao massacre case, could no longer handle what was bothering him. Dacera also handled the Department of Justice's Witness Protection Program (WPP), and according to De Lima, Dacera took his work "very seriously," particularly his job of ensuring that the witnesses in the Maguindanao massacre case were adequately protected. "For the past few weeks, people were telling me that he was kind of low, withdrawn and depressed. Something was bugging him. He had a problem. For the sake of the family, I don't want to divulge any further. I had initial information that's very raw. It's work-related," said De Lima. Dacera, 54, was found lifeless in his home on Thursday morning. He was brought to the hospital but he was declared dead on arrival. De Lima said Dacera's demise was a "great loss" to the DOJ and that she will have a hard time finding a "worthy replacement" for Dacera. In the meantime, she has designated her head assistant, lawyer Martin Menes, as acting WPP director. "I relied so much on him. The previous secretaries relied on him so much. He (Dacera) attended personally to the witnesses' needs. He was so dedicated and passionate. His life revolved around the WPP," she said. Blow to justice for Maguindanao massacre Earlier in the day, the Center for Community Journalism and Development executive director Red Batario said Dacera's death was a devastating blow" to the pursuit of justice for the 57 victims of the bloodbath, allegedly ordered by members of the powerful Ampatuan clan of Maguindanao. "We mourn the loss of a dear friend and pillar of hope for surviving kin and witnesses to some of the most gruesome murders of Filipino journalists," said Batario, whose group has been assisting the families of 32 media people killed in the carnage. "Whether it was to surreptitiously spirit out a threatened witness from a troubled place in Mindanao to a safe house in Manila or consulting with journalists and media organizations on how to pursue cases of media murders, Leo Dacera had always demonstrated grace under pressure," Batario said. — DM/RSJ, GMANews.TV