PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE — The daughters of Salvador “Bubby” Dacer yesterday asked the Department of Justice to include former President Joseph Estrada as a respondent in the celebrated double-murder case now being investigated by prosecutors and being tried by a Manila court.
Carina L. Dacer, Sabina Dacer-Reyes, Emily Dacer-Hungerford and Amparo Dacer-Henson on Monday filed a “motion for time to file amended complaint” after former police officer Cezar Mancao II linked Estrada and five others to the abduction and killing of Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito nine years ago.
“Mancao’s unequivocal identification of other personalities involved in the abduction and murders of Dacer and Corbito, which fact was not stated in his affidavit dated February 13, 2009, is a recent development that took place after the filing of the present complaint. In view of this, there is a need to amend the present complaint so that those responsible for the gruesome killing of Dacer and Corbito, particularly former President Joseph Estrada, may be made to answer for their crime,” the Dacer sisters, through their counsel, the Ongkiko Manhit Custodia & Acorda Law Office, said.
The lawyers explained that the complainants are all residing in the United States and it would take them some time to be able to appear before an officer authorized to administer an oath and acknowledge their amended complaint-affidavit before the Philippine Consulate.
“It is respectfully prayed that complainants be given sufficient time to file an Amended Complaint-Affidavit to implead former President Joseph E. Estrada as additional Respondent in this case,” the motion said.
Mancao also implicated his former boss, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, to the killing.
An official of the National Bureau of Investigation believes that Mancao’s colleague, former police officer Michael Ray Aquino, is the key in solving the abduction-slaying of the former publicist.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stressed the need for the immediate extradition of Aquino from the United States so that he could testify. He said Aquino’s testimony will be more relevant than Mancao’s.
”Aquino is the Operations Chief of the PAOCTF (Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force). So, the operations (on the Dacer-Corbito case) went through him. It is not possible that this was executed without his knowledge,” the source said.
He expressed optimism that Aquino will be extradited since the “Philippines has not yet lost in extradition case.”
“The extradition case is continuing. We have not yet lost in any extradition case. We have good relations with the United States, so I think, we will win this case, and this extradition request would be granted. We just don’t know when. But, he (Michael Ray Aquino) is the key,” he stressed.