Lacson last spotted in Rome, says NBI chief

Fugitive Senator Panfilo Lacson was last spotted in Rome by intelligence agents, National Bureau of Investigation director Magtanggol Gatdula said on Thursday. At a news briefing, Gatdula also called on his former boss to surrender already so the investigation on the November 2000 killing of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito may finally begin again. "We are exerting all our efforts. As far as the last monitoring sa kaniya, dun sa may Rome. [We are] continuing interaction and cooperation with the Interpol," Gatdula said, referring to the International Crime Police Organization which has issued a Red Notice for Lacson's arrest. "It's high time for him to present himself. We guarantee him fair treatment, justice," he added. Gatdula said the NBI will also investigate how television reporter Lynda Jumilla managed to receive a text message supposedly from Lacson, wherein the senator reportedly said he is not keen on surrendering. "We are not harassing her. We are inviting her to shed light.. and give us information. The NBI will never be used as an arm for persecution. This is an investigative agency," he said. Gatdula had earlier vowed there will be no special treatment for Lacson, his former superior at the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, the police unit implicated in the killings of Dacer and Corbito. Similarly, the bureau has no power to "whitewash" Lacson's alleged involvement in the killings because the double murder case is already with the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 18. Lacson is being tagged as the mastermind in the twin killings, an allegation that the senator has denied. He only said he is being linked to the crime because of a political vendetta by the previous administration. He admitted fleeing the country early January this year because of a supposed "evil conspiracy" between former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then Justice Sec. Agnes Devanadera. — Sophia M. Dedace, RJAB Jr., RSJ, GMANews.TV