Skip to content

The return of Michael Ray Aquino

U.S. CA Apr 25 decision: Michael Ray Aquino petition denied

Related article: http://verafiles.org/front/us-court-junks-michael-ray-aquino%E2%80%99s-bid-to-stop-extradition/

The U.S. Court of Appeals denied Monday former Police Officer Michael Ray Aquino’s third appeal against the extradition requested by the Philippine government under Gloria Aquino in connection with the November 2000 murder of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito.

“The petition for rehearing filed by Apellant having been submitted to all judges who participated in the decision of this court, and to all the other available circuit judges in active service, and a majority of circuit judges of the circuit in regular active service not having voted for rehearing by the court en banc, the petition for rehearing is hereby DENIED,” the decision states signed by Circuit Judge Thomas M. Hardiman.

The U.S. has 60 days to enforce the extradition. I suppose the National Bureau of Investigation would be coordinating with American authorities for the return of Aquino who left the Philippine in July 2001 knowing that the unelected government of Gloria Arroyo would make life difficult for them being identified with Sen. Panfilo Lacson, whom the Arroyos consider their number one tormentor.

The April 25 decision of the US Court of Appeals was in reply to the last ditch appeal of Aquino received last April 11 arguing that the Philippine Court of Appeals’ declaration that his former colleague, Cezar Mancao, was not a credible and trustworthy witness in the Dacer-Corbito double murder, was a news development in the case.

It will be recalled that the Philippine CA dismissed the case against Lacson after it declared Mancao’s latest testimony dragging Lacson into the murder case that happened during the last months of the Estrada administration when the senator was then the chief of the Philippine National Police and Aquino was in his staff.

In his arguments filed with U.S. courts, Aquino has consistently assailed the credibility of the evidence presented by the prosecution in the Philippine court. He cited the prosecution’s claim that “Dacer and Corbito were blindfolded, tied and strangled to death. Their bodies were placed on top of a pile of stray wood and rubber tires, doused with gasoline and burned. The fire lasted for a mere thirty minutes, as declared by the prosecution witness at the trial. Recovered at the scene were a few pieces of bones and metal dental implants.”

But Aquino, said the prosecution’s narration of the crime defies science as even “a closed environment of a crematorium requires, on average, several hours” to burn a human body.

He also cited a finding by the National Bureau of Investigation that the bones presented by the prosecution were animal remains.

With Aquino’s impending return, the NBI should come up with those so alleged “remains” of Dacer and Corbito.

I have tried inquiring about this a few months ago, and I was told it cannot be found.

Looks like this is another Vizconde massacre case.

There’s also another report that I would like to revisit. I recall a report quoting Fr. Gabriel Baldostamon, formerly a parish priest of the community where the Dacer’s daughters lived, overhearing a conversation between the Dacer’s daughters and Jose Almonte, national security adviser of President Fidel Ramos.

The conversation hinted of a different circumstances than the murder charges that were filed against Aquino,dragging Lacson in the process.

Fr. Baldostamon is now parish priest of St. Nikolai church in Linkoping, Sweden.

Published inForeign AffairsJustice

338 Comments

  1. chi chi

    There was a report of a conversation between Dacer’s daughter and Jose Almonte FVR’s national security adviser. Ayun na! Masyado namang nililiko ang tingin.

  2. saxnviolins saxnviolins

    So what has happened in the main case? There are two docketed cases right? The first one being Aquino, Mancao et al, and a separate docket for Lacson.

    The guilt of the others, Jimmy Lopez, and the other policemen should have been determined already. The only issue is whether or not someone died, and whether or not the other accused participated in the killing. Aquino, if ever, would be guilty as a sub-mastermind, the conduit of the alleged mastermind (Erap or Lacson or both). But Aquino’s guilt hinges on proof that the others did kill Dacer and Corbito.

    The guilt of the others, clearly, can be determined without Aquino, and should have already been determined by now.

    The delay, it seems, is merely to prolong the pendency of the case, so that other people can be forced to testify. So you have Mancao suddenly remembering that Lacson gave the order, now they are hoping they can convince Aquino to do the same.

  3. saxnviolins saxnviolins

    Well they have their work cut out for them. Aquino is steel to Mancao’s cotton. I saw the mean sons of bitches Aquino was incarcerated with, when his case for espionage was still pending. The tough guys in Tondo would look like choirboys. And Aquino was in there for two years. He later opted to plead guilty, not because he did not think he could win, but because he wanted to go to Federal prison, which, in his own words, was like a country club compared to the Passaic prison.

    So he was sent to the south (North Carolina), where they had basketball courts and a full library, and taught high school subjects to other inmates, and learned German. He was paid the princely sum of 40 cents per hour. Yes, ganyan kapatas ang trato sa Tate. Kulung ka na, pinakakain ka na, may suweldo ka pa.

    Offer him money? Think again. His long suffering wife has been working as a nanny all these years, to support their son. This is not the couple you can flash with money.

    The truth? The truth is in Linkoping Sweden. Ask Father Baldostamon about the inFidel.

  4. This is unbelievable, I thought stuff like this only happens in the movies! Talk about manipulating the justice system.
    I hope that this will be like the Hubert Webb case, we need another victory for justice in the high profile area.

  5. chi chi

    The truth? The truth is in Linkoping Sweden. Ask Father Baldostamon about the inFidel. -atty sax

    De Lima is avoiding this, clearly. Mabibisto kung sino ang tunay na amo at padrino!

  6. chi chi

    Offer him money? Think again. His long suffering wife has been working as a nanny all these years, to support their son. This is not the couple you can flash with money.- atty sax

    I so believe, sana matagal ng bumigay sila kung pera-pera lang ang usapan.

  7. luzviminda luzviminda

    Kapag pinabalik na si MRay Aquino at magkaroon ng trial, sana ay tutukan ng media para lumabas ang katotohanan at hindi moro-moro. Hindi sana political persecution at magdiin lang ng escape goat. Obvious naman na hindi kayang patunayan na yung mga abo eh kina Dacer nga at Corbito…. Dun naman sa mga anak ni Dacer eh huwag naman sana silang magpaloko. O baka naman alam nga nila ang ‘script’.

  8. parasabayan parasabayan

    What is so different now is Aquino will be coming home to a friendlier admin.

    It is good to reopen the case so the animal remains can be entered as evidences…heh,heh,heh.

    Some of us here still think that the two (Dacer and Corbito) may still be with us in a changed form (wonders of Vicky Belo) or may be in the Bahamas sipping their Margaritas every day.

  9. parasabayan parasabayan

    Mancao and Aquino seem to be so different from each other. We know that Mancao had changed his statement a few times already.

  10. parasabayan parasabayan

    O nasa Dominican Republic. Papunta si putot doon. Withdrawing her loot?

  11. abc abc

    ManCow pala ang testigo… he he he.

    Not “all quiet on the westERN front(point)”.

    Pag may usok ang sigarilyo, may apoy.

  12. parasabayan parasabayan

    Hay salamat nagresign na si Maldita! Menos gastos sa bayan. I hope Pnoy will appoint one who will run after the crooks!

Leave a Reply