Lacson on Mancao’s appointment as cybercrime center chief: President may appoint even Lucifer

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday said it is President Rodrigo Duterte's prerogative to appoint former police officer Cezar Mancao II as executive director of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).

Mancao previously accused Lacson of being a mastermind in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case which happened in 2000. Lacson, a Philippine National Police chief from 1999 to 2001, has been cleared by the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court upheld the CA's decision.

"The President can appoint an angel, the President can appoint a devil, he can appoint even Lucifer to any government post basta presidential appointee. So, that's all that I can say. It's presidential prerogative," Lacson said in an interview on ANC.

Earlier this week,  Malacañang confirmed that Mancao had been appointed to lead the CICC, expressing confidence in his "professional credentials" to prevent cybercrime in the country.

Mancao was among those charged for the twin killings of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

Mancao surrendered to the Philippine National Police in January 2017 after escaping from the National Bureau of Investigation in 2013.

Lacson previously said he has forgiven Mancao but can never forget what the latter did to him.

The senator also recently pushed for higher penalties for those who commit perjury by imposing to a violator the same penalty that he or she is imputing against a person through untruthful statements under oath or through an affidavit.

But the Senate did not accept the suggestion as they found it harsh. — RSJ, GMA News

"They have not experienced what I have experienced, kaya we are coming siguro from different perspectives," Lacson said, referring to the false accusations he got entangled with in the past.