Lacson to surface only if arrest warrant is withdrawn, says lawyer

Fugitive senator Panfilo Lacson will only surface if the warrants of arrest against him are withdrawn and a reinvestigation of the Dacer-Corbito murder case is conducted, his lawyer said on Wednesday. "What i understand is that if the warrants of arrest are withdrawn or suspended and the reinvestigation is officially conducted he's going to surface and he will participate in the reinvestigation," Lacson's lawyer Alexander Poblador told reporters on Wednesday. Justice Secretary Leila De Lima earlier said she would support the Interior Department's possible recommendation to offer a P2-million bounty on Lacson, key suspect in the 2000 killing of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito. However, Poblador noted that he doubts the senator would surface even if there is a bounty. "What i understand is that he will not allow himself to be arrested and detained for a crime he did not commit," he said. He likewise lamented the fact that Lacson was being treated like a criminal, which he argued the senator was not. "I think due respect should be given to him," he said. "I don't see why they have to post this reward. They should concentrate on reinvestigating the case. It is their duty to see to it if there is sufficient basis to the case and if there is new evidence," he added. Poblador also clarified that his "standing advice" to the senator was to respect judicial and legal processes. However, he said Lacson had made up his mind. "He has made a decision personally and I think he is prepared to face the consequences," Poblador said. Poblador said that he has yet to talk to Lacson personally since last year. "The last time we met was before Christmas of last year. My communications are with his family only," he said. On January 7 this year, the DOJ filed two counts of murder against Lacson before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18. However, the senator had already fled the country two days before he was indicted. A month later, the Manila court, then presided by Judge Myra Garcia-Fernandez, issued the arrest warrant against Lacson. Lacson's lawyers then asked the court to cancel the warrant. Last July, the court, now under Judge Thelma Bunyi-Medina, junked Lacson's plea and said the arrest warrant remains standing. The Manila court also ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to cancel Lacson's passport to limit his movements abroad. In August, the DFA cancelled his regular and diplomatic passports because he was deemed a "fugitive from justice" as provided by the Philippine Passport Act of 2010. Lacson then elevated the matter to the Commission on Appointments, which did not grant his appeal to block the enforcement of the warrant against him. Lacson's camp has also appealed to the DOJ for a reinvestigation of the case in light of "new evidence" they claim would exonerate the fugitive lawmaker. - VVP, GMANews.TV