Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson yesterday said he has already made peace with his “nemesis” Justice Secretary Leila de Lima with whom the senator has had problems over the Dacer-Corbito case.
What prompted Lacson, based on his own revelations during a radio interview, was a realization that De Lima does not have any personal grudge against him, saying she was merely “passionate in her work.”
De Lima had refused to honor a Court of Appeals (CA) ruling that nullified arrest warrant issued by the court against Lacson in January 2010 in connection with the killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer

and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.
As he buried the hatchet with De Lima, Lacson is now even willing to endorse her nomination for plenary confirmation before the Commission on Appointments (CA) when the bicameral appointments body takes up the designation papers of the remaining Cabinet officials.  
“I want to make it known to everyone that I have already made a peace offering with De Lima. When I learned that it was her birthday that day (Aug. 27), I had my staff look for her cell number. I greeted her and told her something to the effect that ‘this is my way of offering peace to you... then I said happy birthday.’ And she replied, she said ‘what a pleasant surprise’ and thanked me,” he said.
Lacson added he now understood what happened in the past, as De Lima was merely trying to do her job and was not actually out to “get him” as the Justice chief was also on her toes on matters concerning other individuals whom the senator failed to identify.
“There are some things which she thinks, we all have our own mindset on every issue on which we think is the right or wrong thing to do. If you feel that you’re doing the right thing, you will be really be passionate with what you’re doing,” he said.
The matter on De Lima was apparently a belated realization on the senator after he was told that the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, who was not even personally close to him, tried to intervene and prevail upon the DoJ chief in following the CA ruling lifting the warrant of arrest against Lacson and effectively dismissing the double murder charges pending before a lower court.
Lacson said Robredo was  just one of the three individuals who tried to pave the way for his coming out from hiding, the two others were incoming DILG Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas and former Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz.
It was Roxas who told him of the effort of Robredo after he surfaced to the public more than a year ago, as well as that on the part of Cadiz.
“He told me to thank Robredo and Cadiz because, being both Bicolano like De Lima, they talked to her. They were the emissaries of Roxas, for lack of a better word, to try to talk to her and convince her if it’s possible for her not to be too strict (in doing her job) because the CA decision was clear. And that what happened, that’s why I managed to return (to the country),” he said.
Lacson hastened to point out that Roxas, Cadiz and Robredo were not trying to exert undue influence to anyone in government then as they feel then that there’s nothing wrong in reaching out with De Lima then since the CA effectively already cleared the senator.
“As I’ve said (when I first mentioned about Robredo’s efforts on this matter) it was only a matter of convincing De Lima to comply with the CA order,” he said, adding Roxas’ role then was attributed to the fact that they’ve grown close to each other in the Senate and are both close personally as well to President Aquino.
All three of them happen to have taken similar stance on issues against the previous administration.
“Probably, Mar (Roxas) felt then too that I was being subjected to persecution (by the former administration) that’s why he tried to help me when he had the chance,” he said.
Having been told of what transpired in the past, Lacson further confessed that he took it upon himself to re-study what took place in the past by reviewing the events as well as the pronouncements made by De Lima when it comes to the issue concerning him.
“I saw for myself that she was consistent in being passionate with her work so I told myself that she’s probably just like that. So when I was told that it was her birthday, I immediately sent her my birthday greetings,” he said.
“I don’t know if there’s anyone who will object to her (appointment) in the CA and if there’s none, I’m planning to talk to the chairman of the standing committee, Sen. (Joker) Arroyo. If the only problem would be me and no one else, then I will tell him that he could probably schedule her confirmation hearings soon and it’s likely that I will even be the one who will recommend her confirmation in the plenary,” he said.
Lacson said he will try to bring up the matter with Arroyo on Monday.
In the same interview, Lacson also confessed that he had actually renewed his friendship with former President Joseph Estrada.
“We talked. There was a quiet dinner sometime ago but we opted to keep it to ourselves and not make it known to the public. We’re friends again,” he said. With Angie M. Rosales