De Lima on Mancao candidacy: Nice try

MANILA, Philippines - Nice try.

This was Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s curt reply when asked for a reaction on the defeat of fugitive former police senior superintendent Cezar Mancao II in his political bid in Compostela Valley.

De Lima also refused to comment when asked for an update on the manhunt for Mancao, and only shook her head.

Mancao, who ran as an independent, garnered 33,126 votes but did not make it to the top five that would have assured him of a seat in the provincial board.

De Lima earlier said Mancao’s escape from the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters could also be a “publicity stunt” to boost his election bid.

“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or if it’s really his plan because of his not being able to campaign since he is detained. It’s just now we know that he’s running in the elections. So maybe this is a publicity stunt,” the DOJ chief had said.

It was not Mancao’s first attempt to run for public office. He also lost in his congressional bid in 2010.

De Lima had assured the public that a manhunt for Mancao is underway.

“My instruction to them is very clear – they should pursue the manhunt and other assignment even if this (Taiwanese fisherman’s) case is given highest priority,” she had told reporters in a recent interview.

President Aquino has ordered the NBI to investigate the shooting of the Taiwanese fisherman.