A source who was at the courtroom said the prosecution’s witness, former Police Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao II, was fidgety because his lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, was not around.
Someone told Mancao, “Hindi na darating yun. Napuyat yun kagabi. (He won’t be coming. He is tired due to to last night’s incident.”
Topacio never made it to the court that day and the hearing was postponed. He was present in subsequent hearings.
Mancao having the same lawyer as Arroyo gives a clue as to the link between the two.
Topacio’s non-appearance that day should have given Mancao an idea what’s in store for him that he had already served the purpose of Arroyo which was to pin down Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
It will be recalled that Mancao’s turnaround testimony, accusing Lacson of having ordered the kidnapping and murder of publicist Bubby Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito, in 2000, was the basis of a warrant of arrest for Lacson. The senator evaded arrest by leaving the country and came back only after Arroyo had stepped down and the case against him was dismissed.
The Court of Appeals ruled that “Cezar Mancao is not a credible and trustworthy witness. Under oath, he contradicted himself on material points. Inconsistencies and material contradiction affect the credibility of Cezar Mancao and the veracity of his statements.” The decision was sustained by the Supreme Court.
The dismissal of the case against Lacson put Mancao in a complicated situation because he was under the Witness Protection Program. After he was declared not a credible witness, what was the use of his staying under the protection of the state?
Even then, Arroyo still has a lot of “people” in the Department of Justice and Mancao continued to stay at the National Bureau of Investigation. He was expecting that the case against him related to the Dacer-Corbito murder case would be dropped after the case against co-accused, former police Senior Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino was dismissed. But it did not happen.
His narration of how he escaped last Thursday looked so easy, one wonders if he was not purposely let out. Subsequent statements by NBI officials pretending to be on the manhunt of Mancao insult the public.
In his media interview after he left the NBI compound, he said he had to “escape” after he learned that he would be transferred to the Manila City Jail. He said he could be easily killed at the Manila City jail. He blamed Lacson for the adversities that he is undergoing.
Lacson, who is busy campaigning for his son, Jay, who is a candidate for vice governor in Cavite, replied to reporters in a text message, he “can’t see any cogent reason to comment or react to Mancao’s tirades having been declared by the Court no less as incredible.”
“I have long forgiven him as I have forgiven those who made me suffer for 9 years of the Arroyo regime. Having said that, I have no interest in him,” he also said.
Come to think of it. What would Lacson gain if he harmed Mancao now? Nothing.
Pity Mancao. A perpetual sense of insecurity, which must be Mancao’s situation, is a punishment you would not wish even on your worst enemy.
Mancao let himself used by Gloria, nakarma!
Is he still a candidate in Compostela Valley? Ayos, then all his opponents have to do is hire a gunman and he is a convenient target, it would be blamed on Lacson anyway. Add those who are the perpetrators of the Dacer murder tale and include also the families of those cops now languishing in jail for a questionable double-murder case, the details of which are cut for a Walt Disney dark movie.
Wala ka nang silbi nagpagamit ka tapos iiyak-iyak ka. Wawa ka naman.
Mancao wasn’t even good selling real estates in US. Payback is a mother!
Yes, Tongue. He is a candidate, I think for congressman, in Compostela Valley,where Mt. Diwalwal gold mines, are.
sino sa palagay ninyo ang magpapapatay ngayon kay manco kundi ang pamilyang sinungaling na magnanakaw? at ang lahat ay ibibintang kay ping lacson.
ganyan naman ang maruming laro ng mga dorobo, di ba? matapos gamitin para sa kanilang mga kasinungalingan upang pagtakpan ang kawalanghiyaan ay parang duming basta na la’ang iiwan sa isang sulok.
tsk.. tsk. tsk.
kawawang mancao. nagpagamit sa mga taong hindi dapat pagkatiwalaan.
Yung mga illegal Gold mining operations like in Panganiban, Camarines Norte kahit dun sa Diwalwal, usually pulis may hawak. Diba nga yung nirubout sa Atimonan sabi namili ng ginto sa Bicol mga pulis-Bicol ang kasama? Tapos ang nagbigay pala ng clearance kay Marantan itong si Glenn Dumlao? Nalaman ko lang kahapon sa Inquirer.
Mancao et al would have no motives to rid of Dacer and Corbito on their own, and whether they been ordered by someone from the High Command remains to be proven in the court of law.. But since that was already Ironed out the case of Dacer and Corbito will become another Ninoy Aquino ,, only the smallest fries will take the sacrifices for the sins and crimes of their Masters. It will always be the case as long as it will be tolerated and justified not only by the captured courts of Justice but also by partisan populace.
wow!
kandidato si mancao sa pagka-congressman?
tsk. tsk. tsk.