Good intelligence work is the key to tracking down and arresting high-profile personalities including Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Sunday.
Lacson gave this advice to law enforcement agencies who are also looking for “prominent” personalities including dela Rosa, “Atong” Ang, former Gen. Gerald Bantag, and even ex-Rep. “Zaldy” Co who is believed to be in France.
“As one who worked in law enforcement, intelligence for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between. Intelligence is the prime mover of any operation, law enforcement or military,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview on DZBB radio.
In Filipino: Lacson sa Alagad ng Batas: Intelligence, Susi sa Pagtugis at Pag-aresto ng mga High-Profile Fugitives
Without good intelligence work and proper coordination, he said law enforcers tasked to look for the high-profile fugitives would be wasting their resources.
Lacson, who served in law enforcement – including as Chief of the Philippine National Police from 1999 to 2001 – was dela Rosa’s superior in the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF).
Meanwhile, Lacson scored some lawyers for being manipulative and misleading, including one who tried to force a comparison between his case and that of dela Rosa.
Lacson stressed that his situation is different from that of dela Rosa, even as he pointed out that some “lawyers” are “devious and manipulative” with the intention to mislead.
“Spot on. Not all lawyers are created equal. Some are learned and updated on jurisprudence; some are dumb and lazy. And yes, some are devious and manipulative with the obvious intent to mislead. All are bound by the code of ethics of the legal profession though,” he said in a post on X.
Spot on. Not all lawyers are created equal. Some are learned and updated on jurisprudence; some are dumb and lazy. And yes, some are devious and manipulative with the obvious intent to mislead. All are bound by the code of ethics of the legal profession though.
— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) May 23, 2026
“There are pretender lawyers, not all lawyers are created equal. Some are learned and study hard, some are dumb and lazy, some are devious and do nothing worthwhile but force their fake ‘knowledge’ on others,” he added in the DZBB interview.
He was referring to the claim of one such “lawyer” that he had gone into hiding after being the subject of an arrest warrant. Dela Rosa has made himself scarce as he is the subject of a warrant from the International Criminal Court.
Lacson pointed out that when he went into hiding as a “fugitive from injustice” in the 2010s, he did not break the law, citing the then-applicable jurisprudence (Miranda v Tuliao) that allowed an accused to seek judicial relief even if he is not under the court’s physical custody. Lacson was eventually acquitted and the Supreme Court affirmed the ruling.
But Lacson noted the jurisprudence has since been modified since late 2025, limiting such an option to six months.
“I did not break the law because there was jurisprudence from the Miranda v Tuliao case,” Lacson said.
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Lacson sa Alagad ng Batas: Intelligence, Susi sa Pagtugis at Pag-aresto ng mga High-Profile Fugitives
Ang maayos na intelligence work ang susi sa pagtugis at pag-aresto sa mga high-profile na fugitives, kabilang si Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, giit kay Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Linggo.
Ibinigay ni Lacson ang payo na ito sa mga alagad ng batas na kasalukuyang tumutugis din sa iba pang prominenteng personalidad kabilang si dela Rosa, “Atong” Ang, dating Gen. Gerald Bantag, at ex-Rep. “Zaldy” Co na pinaniniwalaang nasa France.
“Unang-una, bilang dati sa law enforcement, intelligence for breakfast, intelligence for lunch, intelligence for dinner. Ang intelligence, ito ang prime mover ng kahit anong operation, law enforcement man or military operation,” aniya sa panayam sa DZBB radio.
Kung walang maayos na intelligence work at koordinasyon, ani Lacson, masasayang lamang ang resources ng mga tagapagpatupad ng batas na inatasang maghanap sa mga high-profile na fugitives.
Si Lacson, na nagsilbi sa law enforcement kabilang na bilang Chief ng Philippine National Police mula 1999 hanggang 2001, ay naging superior ni dela Rosa sa Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF).
Samantala, pinuna ni Lacson ang ilang abogado dahil sa pagiging mapanlinlang at naglalako ng maling impormasyon, kabilang ang isa na nagtangkang ihambing ang kanyang kaso sa kaso ni dela Rosa.
Giit ni Lacson, magkaiba ang kanyang sitwasyon at ang kay dela Rosa, at binigyang-diin din niya na may ilang “abogado” na aniya ay “mapanlinlang at manipulative” sa layuning magligaw ng impormasyon.
“Spot on. Not all lawyers are created equal. Some are learned and updated on jurisprudence; some are dumb and lazy. And yes, some are devious and manipulative with the obvious intent to mislead. All are bound by the code of ethics of the legal profession though,” aniya sa X.
“Maraming paasang abogado, not all lawyers are created equal. May mga lawyers na talagang learned at nag-aaral. May lawyer na dumb and tamad, hindi nag-aaral. May lawyer na devious at wala na magawang mabuti kundi ipilit ang kanilang nalalaman na mali-mali naman,” dagdag ni Lacson sa panayam sa DZBB.
Tinutukoy niya ang pahayag ng isang “abogado” na nagsasabing siya ay umano’y nagtago matapos maging paksa ng arrest warrant. Si dela Rosa ay nananatiling nagtatago matapos maisyuhan ng warrant mula sa International Criminal Court.
Binigyang-diin ni Lacson na noong siya ay nagtago bilang isang “fugitive from injustice” noong 2010s, hindi siya lumabag sa batas dahil ginamit niya ang umiiral na jurisprudence (Miranda v Tuliao) na nagpapahintulot sa akusado na humiling ng judicial relief kahit wala pa sa pisikal na kustodiya ng korte. Kalaunan ay napawalang-sala si Lacson at kinatigan ng Korte Suprema ang desisyon.
Ngunit ipinunto niya na ang naturang jurisprudence ay binago na mula noong huling bahagi ng 2025, kung saan nilimitahan na lamang ito sa anim na buwan.
“Sa akin noon mina-maintain ko, I did not break the law because meron akong Miranda v Tuliao jurisprudence na pinanghahawakan,” ani Lacson.
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