Lacson camp unfazed by new witness in Dacer-Corbito case

The camp of fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Monday evening scored as a "publicity stunt" the emergence of a supposed new witness that would link the lawmaker to the Dacer-Corbito case. In a press statement, Lacson's lawyer Alex Poblador said the latest action of former police colonel Cezar Mancao II's lawyer Ferdinand Topacio showed his "desperation" to "prop up" his client's "fabricated testimony." "After admitting his client did not know about the Dacer-Corbito case until after the fact, which in effect discredited Mancao's testimony, Topacio now attempts to make amends by producing still another supposed witness to support and ensure daily publicity for his client," Poblador said. Mancao has tagged Lacson as the brains behind the killing of veteran publicist Salvador “Bubby" Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito 10 years ago. At the time, Lacson concurrently headed the Philippine National Police and the now defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF). Poblador was referring to Topacio's claim that another former subordinate of Lacson had surfaced to "corroborate" Mancao's testimony. On Monday, Topacio told reporters that the former policeman went to the Department of Justice (DOJ) office in Manila to seek protection under the Witness Protection Program. He did not disclose the new witness' identity. Mancao reportedly accompanied the former policeman to the DOJ and met with DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima. Poblador said Topacio's move to introduce a new witness may be an admission that their case is too weak and needs reinforcement. "Yet, after vigorously opposing our move to have the case reinvestigated, Topacio has now admitted that their case is too weak and needs reinforcement from what he calls a 'new witness,'" he said. In effect, he added, Topacio is asking the DOJ to take another look at their evidence, "which amounts to a tacit admission that a reinvestigation is necessary." Earlier, Topacio claimed the supposed new witness was a former subordinate of Lacson at the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, and had submitted a sworn statement. Topacio was quoted as saying that the new witness will testify that Mancao frequently traveled with Lacson on the same vehicle, contrary to what former police sergeant Reynaldo Oximoso Jr. said in his affidavit. Topacio said the supposed new witness would corroborate the part of Mancao’s testimony where he heard Lacson and then police colonel Michael Ray Aquino inside a car talking about “liquidating" Dacer. - KBK, GMANews.TV