Lascañas: Lacson should know what I'm going through 

Retired Davao City policeman and confessed hitman Arturo Lascañas on Tuesday said Senator Panfilo Lacson should know exactly what he’s going through as he himself had sought help from other people when he went into hiding years ago.

Lascañas said this after Lacson questioned who’s paying for his expenses to go to Singapore amid supposed threats to his life, and the possible filing of a lawsuit over the accusations he made against President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Sa lahat ng tao, si Senator Lacson dapat ang pinaka makakaunawa sa aking kalagayan. Hinanap sya ng awtoridad at umalis sya dahil sa pangamba sa kanyang safety,” Lascañas said in a statement.

“Marami din ang naniwala sa kanya na tama ang kanyang ginagawa kaya maraming tumulong sa kanyang pagalis. Ganun din sa akin. Maraming naniniwala at nagmamalasakit kaya nila ako tinutulungan,” he added.

Lacson went into hiding in 2010, two days before being charged with double murder for his alleged involvement in the killings of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

Lacson said then that he left the country for safety reasons, and to escape the harassment of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He returned to the country on March 2011 after he was cleared by the Court of Appeals.

For his part, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said there was no basis for Lascañas' fear that he would be facing cases for implicating Duterte in the DDS.

"Wala nga. Wala naman nang pumapansin diyan nagsinungaling na 'yan eh," Aguirre told reporters.

"Imagine telling somebody that the dance instructor of the sister of the president was killed through the order of the president and then a few days later he appeared saying he was very much alive. How can you believe that kind of person?" he added.

Lacson: I am not blaming Lascañas

In a text message Tuesday afternoon, Lacson said he understands Lascañas’ situation, adding he only questioned who is financing Lascañas’ expenses as no one has owned up to being involved in the “scheme” to destabilize the Duterte administration.

“I am not blaming or criticizing his decision to leave the country. Anybody who feels persecuted and physically threatened is entitled to make a personal decision on self-preservation,” he said. 

“If I asked which group is financing his and his family's trip and accommodations in an expensive place like Singapore, it was in the context of an obvious destabilization efforts against President Duterte since nobody seems to admit being involved in the scheme,” Lacson added.

Lacson also defended his decision then to flee the country over the “trumped up charges” filed against him during the Arroyo administration. 

Lascañas’ statement was forwarded by the office of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, one of those who helped provide security for the retired policeman. Trillanes is currently out of the country with his family.

Who paid for trip?

On Monday, Lacson questioned how Lascañas was able to afford a trip to Singapore. He said Lascañas’ family had also left for Singapore prior to the latter’s appearance at a Senate investigation.

“That could be his personal reason for leaving. It may be worth to find out who spent for his and his family's trips and accommodations in Singapore which is an expensive place to stay,” Lacson said.

“Contrary to reports that he left quietly, I don't see that since he allowed himself to be accompanied by a news reporter,” he added.

Asked whom he thinks paid for Lascañas’ expenses, Lacson said: “Most likely those who sponsored his retraction and his tri-media interviews in an apparent effort to bring down President Duterte.”

Aguirre said he was also interested in knowing who paid for the trip although he ruled against conducting an investigation into the matter.

Last February, Lascañas made a complete turnaround when he retracted his earlier testimony on the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS).

He claimed that the DDS exists, and that they were paid up to P100,000 by President Duterte, then mayor of Davao City, depending on their target.

He also claimed to be involved in the killings of almost 200 people, including radio broadcaster Jun Pala.

Lascañas took a flight bound for Singapore last Saturday.

He is expected to return to the country on April 22 based on immigration records.

"Let us see whether he would return otherwise yung kanyang pag-alis would be considered as flight and flight is a sign of guilt," Aguirre said. —with Virgil Lopez/KBK, GMA News