MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) Christmas in March. This was how Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson described his homecoming last Saturday after more than a year in hiding.
Lacson faced the public Monday morning at the Senate, saying that the weekend he spent with his family was the best days in his life, following an experience “so surreal, I never imagined could happen.”
The senator said that he learned to fend for himself throughout the time he was in hiding, preparing dishes such as afritada, adobo and menudo, and baking pan de sal and empanada.
He told the public that every day in hiding felt like being “a prisoner outside of a prison cell.” Lacson revealed that he traveled to several countries and operated on one rule: Do not get caught.
The worst part of his struggle, said Lacson, was that he did not know who his true friends were.
“Every crime demands justice but justice means truth and action,” said Lacson, “Without action to bring out the truth, justice will never be served.”
Lacson revealed that he decided to return as there was no legal barrier to his serving as senator, adding that he would work double time to fulfill his duties.
He admitted that evading arrest and going into hiding were the wrong things to do but that these were “the more sensible things to do given the prevailing circumstances.”
“Facing trial is not the be-all and end-all of settling and resolving this legal issue,” he added.
Lacson said that he was out of the country the entire time he was in hiding, but declined to disclose the locations in order to protect those who helped him.
“I was never here during the past year, that much I can tell you,” he said.
Asked what he thought of the Dacer sisters’ move to pass a petition questioning the Court of Appeal’s decision to dismiss his case and arrest warrant, he said that it was up to them.
He said he had questioned the lower court’s decision, calling it unfair for using the statements of a lone witness but said he would honor the judgment of the Supreme Court.
Lacson stated that he wanted to prove his innocence by explaining his side but was also inclined to “forgive and forget” instead of filing cases against his detractors. He said that the months he spent hidden gave him ample time to reflect.
The senator flew into the country from Hong Kong Saturday and arrived 11:42 a.m. at the Mactan International Airport in Cebu before heading to Manila in a chartered plane hours later.
The senator had been on the Interpol’s red-notice list for his alleged hand in the deaths of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in 2000.
In March Lacson was excluded from the list after the Court of Appeals dismissed his arrest warrant. (report from Karen Boncocan/Inquirer.net and Louie Garcia/DZIQ-Radyo Inquirer)
