The Wutz Up in the Philippines!

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has assigned a new judge to hear the murder charges lodged against Senator Panfilo Lacson in relation to the killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in 2000.

The SC designated Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 32 Judge Thelma B. Medina as acting judge of Manila RTC Branch 18, where the Dacer-Corbito case is being heard.

Judge Myra Garcia-Fernandez, the former judge of RTC-Branch 18, has been promoted associate justice of the Court of Appeals.

Fernandez was the judge who ordered the arrest of Lacson after finding probable cause in connection with the double murder case.

The senator, however, fled the country days before the arrest warrant was issued in February.

Ricardo Diaz, deputy director of the National Bureau of Investigation, said agents were following leads the senator was in Taiwan, where he is said to have connections in high places, but “initial verification yielded negative results.”

“We are looking at mainland China, not Taiwan. I cannot give you details but we are verifying our leads that the senator may be in mainland China,” Diaz said.

The senator, who is wanted in connection with the Dacer-Corbito double murder case, flew to Hong Kong in early January then disappeared

NBI Director Nestor Mantaring said Monday he had opened communication lines with Lacson’s lawyers in a bid to convince the fugitive senator to give himself up.

He also disclosed that he was coordinating with the Philippine National Police to put a price on Lacson’s head.

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Embattled opposition Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, the prime suspect in the Dacer-Corbito double-murder case, is “right for the picking,” according to acting Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera.

Devanadera on Thursday said that they were just waiting for the issuance of the warrant of arrest against Lacson, considering that the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Manila handling the case was done with hearing judicial determination of probable cause.

The Justice chief added that she did not want to preempt the decision of the RTC because she saw no reason why the warrant of arrest will not be issued.

“Para bang right for the picking [Looks like Lacson is right for the picking]. Tama lang ang pagkakahinog [Just the right ripeness],” Devanadera told radio dzMM.

Once the warrant is issued, she said, the senator would be considered a fugitive from justice if he has opted to stay abroad and ignore the charges against him.

“He has nowhere to go but face the charges against him. If there is already a warrant of arrest, he is already a fugitive. But as of now [pending the issuance of the warrant of arrest], let’s consider him a tourist,” Devanadera added.

But the spokesman for Lacson, lawyer Alex Avisado, said that the statement of the Justice secretary was premature as the RTC had to decide on several motions before it could come up with a warrant of arrest or dismiss the case.

“There is still no basis to call him [Lacson] a fugitive from justice. There is still no case against him and even up to now a warrant of arrest has never been issued,” the lawyer added.

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