Mancao arraignment deferred to June 30

MANILA, Philippines – The Manila Regional Trial Court postponed yesterday the arraignment of former police senior superintendent Cezar Mancao in granting the motion for a further review of the case.

Manila RTC Judge Myra Garcia Fernandez ordered the postponement of Mancao’s arraignment to June 30.

Fernandez granted the motion filed by lawyers of other accused in the Dacer-Corbito double murder to review the case against Mancao.

The former police official was among those named principal accused in the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

Mancao had agreed to turn state witness against the other co-accused and identify the brains behind the slaying. He had executed an affidavit naming his former police boss, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, as among the principal suspects in the killing.

Lawyers of the other co-accused in the case, on the other hand, urged the court to review the case against Mancao as a possible state witness.

Mancao arrived at the courtroom escorted by heavily armed operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Among the lawyers, Alex Avisado denounced the apparent special treatment accorded to Mancao.

Avisado, who represented Lacson during the hearing, along with lawyer Dante Atienza, said Mancao should be detained at the Manila City Jail like the other accused.

Avisado also dared Mancao and the prosecution to identify if Lacson was indeed among the masterminds in the killing.

“They should name names. Is it Senator Lacson they are accusing?… If something happens to Mancao, will they pinpoint Senator Lacson as the one who had a hand (on the assassination attempt)?” Avisado said.

He said the opposition senator would end up being blamed if something happened to Mancao.

“Maybe it would be better, to end all of these accusations, just have Mancao be under the custody of Lacson. If something happens to him, they would only blame Senator Lacson,” he said.

Avisado, who is also defense counsel of other accused in the case, questioned the NBI having custody of Mancao in the absence of any “credible threat.”

He also questioned Mancao’s being a prospective state witness, saying the government already has three other state witnesses – Alex Diloy, William Diloy and Jimmy Lopez – who had admitted disposing the bodies of Dacer and Corbito.

He said the accusations hurled against Lacson were all part of ”propaganda” to destroy the senator.

“Up to now, Senator Lacson has not been accused nor has he been a respondent in this case. There is no case filed against Senator Lacson. We have not received any complaint against him. These are allegations which have no basis at all,” he said.

He said Mancao’s affidavit linking Lacson to the murders has no material value for lack of corroborative evidence.

Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, on the other hand, said Mancao should be given ample protection being a prospective applicant for the Witness Protection Program (WPP).

She said this is not the first time the Department of Justice (DOJ) has given protection to applicants for the WPP.

Devanadera also denied DOJ prosecutors were “lawyering” for Mancao.

“The prosecutors will not and will never enter their appearance for the accused,” she said. “We are not the lawyers of Mancao.”

Devanadera though admitted her predecessor, now presidential legal counsel Raul Gonzalez, is still interested in the case developments. – With Marvin Sy