The daughters of slain public relations practitioner Salvador "Bubby" Dacer belied Saturday the statement of Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Friday saying that they sought his help when their father went missing in November 2000.
"The statement of Senator Lacson is not true. He never helped us in any way and we do not recall seeking his help unless publicly, as he was head of [the now defunct] PAOCTF (Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force)," Carina and Sabina Dacer said.
Carina and Sabina have testified before the Manila Regional Trial Court on Friday for the first time after eight years of self-exile in the United States. The two reportedly received threats on their life, forcing them to flee to the US.
In their testimony, the sisters pointed to Lacson, then chief of the Philippine National Police, as the mastermind behind their father’s disappearance.
Sabina recalled that her father had twice told them in separate family gatherings that if something happened to him Lacson would be behind it.
The sisters also pointed out Lacson's link to one of the suspects, former Senior Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino.
Lacson, however, denied the accusations, claiming that the Dacers had asked his help right after his disappearance.
"In fact, right after Dacer disappeared, the family sought my help... And I responded the way I should as a law enforcement officer at that time," Lacson said.
To which, Carina and Sabina replied: "If he really helped us, why did he not assist in capturing the PAOCTF officers?"
The two also maintained that they had never personally met the senator and only saw him during Senate hearings.
Dacer, whose clients included former president Fidel Ramos, was the publicist of Roberto Lastimoso, Lacson's rival for the top police post.
He was abducted in Makati City along with driver Emmanuel Corbito in 2000. Their burned bodies were recovered in Indang, Cavite.
Police officers, including Aquino and Cesar Mancao, were tagged in the abduction and murder.