Ex-Cabinet official asks Lacson to face charges

DAGUPAN CITY -- Former Justice secretary Silvestre Bello has a piece of advice for Senator Panfilo Lacson, who is now being hunted for his involvement in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case.

“Flight is an indication of guilt. If you are innocent, fight the case. Don’t hide. There are so many legal remedies available for you,” Bello stated in an interview here recently.

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He said Lacson should not heed the piece of advice earlier issued by Senator Gringo Honasan (who himself earlier had a run-around with the law) to hide and be disguise if in public.

“If you are innocent to the charges, face it. You will be provided by the constitution with so many legal remedies. And the most important protection under the constitution is that you are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. And you guilt must be proven by evidence beyond reasonable doubt,” he reminded the senator.

Meanwhile, Bello corrected the reports that came out earlier that he is offering himself to lawyer for Lacson.

He said he is now a private citizen as he has resigned from his Cabinet post.

“I’m now back to my old love, law practice. I’m not offering my services to him, but if the senator will engage my services, why not? We lawyers do not judge, we advocate. When a client comes to us and seek our assistance, we do not ask kung sino ka o ano ka. The only question we ask is if he/she is guilty or not,” he said.

Bello also dispelled the fear or suspicion of Lacson that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will put pressure for his conviction on the murder of Dacer and Corbito.

“Para sa akin, yong kanyang feeling na iipitin siya, walang legal basis. First, our courts belong to the second branch of government which is the judiciary. The judiciary is a co-equal independent constitutional body. And the president has no control over the judges and justices,” he remarked.

“Nakikita nyo ang daming kaso na natatalo at nai-embarrass ang government. This indicates the independence of the judiciary. The one who will convict or acquit Lacson is not President Arroyo, much less the senate. The one who will convict or acquit senator lacson is the court, because it is only the court that will adjudicate a case, and that is a mandate of the constitution,” he added.

Through the invitation of the Abono Party-list led by its chairman Engineer Rosendo So, Bello had a meeting with several farmers group in Bayambang, San Carlos City, and Mapandan.

Bello is running for senator under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

So said Bello was instrumental to their meeting recently with Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

In that meeting, the Abono group was able to convince to agree to their proposition to help the farmers in Pangasinan and in Ilocos region who were greatly affected by the massive flooding last October.