Bounty hunters urged to help find Lacson

MANILA, Philippines - Bounty hunters who make a living out of finding wanted persons who are likely to be wearing disguises are now being asked to help locate Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson who has a pending warrant of arrest for double murder.

In order to encourage them to begin the manhunt, the group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) has asked the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Government to put up a P5 million reward for the capture of the “wanted man.”

Lacson, who is facing double murder charges before the Manila regional trial court for allegedly masterminding the killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in 2000, left the country last month. However, VACC founding chairman Dante Jimenez, in an interview with The Star, said the former PNP chief may have already returned to the Philippines using backdoors in Mindanao.

He said there is information that Lacson, “because he is very recognizable and as per advice by his mistah (Sen. Gregorio Honasan) to wig up,” is wearing a disguise. “All of these must be taken into consideration. There are bounty hunters who are just waiting (for a reward to be put up),” Jimenez said, noting that the idea is just to point the location of a subject and receive monetary reward.

Will not surrender

“There are groups in existence who voluntarily dedicate themselves to this kind of business,” he said noting that no one is being asked to take the law into their own hands. “The objective is to encourage people because he has said that he will not surrender himself voluntarily under this administration,” he said.

The VACC has already written a letter to PNP chief Jesus Versoza and the DILG asking its reward system committee to consider placing P5 million bounty for any information that would result in Lacson’s arrest.

Additionally, NBI Interpol Division has yet to receive information about Lacson’s whereabouts since day one of his inclusion in the Interpol Red Notice. Lawyer Claro de Castro, chief of the NBI-Interpol Division, said the bureau is still waiting for the information from the Interpol.

“We have yet to receive any information since his inclusion in the Red Notice on Feb. 11. But once there is a development, we will be immediately informed,” De Castro said. He noted that the NBI-Interpol has other contacts in other countries which can be tapped for help in tracing the senator. “We have also contacts from other law enforcement agencies who can also help us aside from the Interpol,” he said. 

De Castro said they have previously received information that Lacson has been accosted at a hotel in Kota Kinabalu Sunday. However, De Castro said the NBI has yet to receive official communication about the reported “arrest” of Lacson.

Lacson has a warrant of arrest for double murder charges in connection with the Dacer and Corbito killings in November 2000.