Sen. Panfilo Lacson distanced himself from the appointment of former Police Col. Cezar Mancao II to the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) cybercrime unit, saying this presidential right enables President Duterte to appoint his arch-nemesis or even "an angel or a devil."
"Two words. Presidential prerogative. The President can appoint an angel, the President can appoint a devil. The President can appoint even Lucifer to any government post, basta (as long as he is a) presidential appointee," Lacson said.
"That’s all I can say. It’s presidential prerogative," he added.
Mancao was recently appointed as executive director in the DICT Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC), which is in charge of formulating a national security plan as well as in preparing appropriate and effective measures to prevent and suppress cybercrimes, among others.
He was among those who were charged for the killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000 and accused Lacson, who led the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force and the Philippine National Police during the Estrada administration, of involvement in the crime. He also claimed that Lacson had planned to kill him.
In 2015, Mancao retracted his claims and apologized to Lacson and former President Joseph Estrada for implicating them in the murder case. Lacson has been cleared by Court of Appeals, whose decision was also upheld by the Supreme Court.
Lacson said he that he has forgiven Mancao and his others detractors, but said he would not forget their names. He pushed for heavier penalties for perjury and false testimonies.