Lacson accuser nabbed for estafa

Ador Mawanay, who had accused Sen. Panfilo Lacson of involvement in various illegal activities, particularly illegal drugs, was arrested in Pasig City last Wednesday for estafa.

Mawanay, whose real name is Antonio Luis Marquez, was arrested by operatives of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

He was arrested in an operation in Greenwoods Subdivision at around 5:30 p.m. for allegedly duping a physician who ordered some ₱12 million worth of medical supplies for COVID-19.

PNP-CIDG director Police Major Gen. Joel Napoleon Coronel said Mawanay was arrested through a warrant of arrest for estafa issued by the Antipolo City Regional Trial Court Branch 100.

“(A) doctor ordered medical supplies from Mawanay worth ₱12 million at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. But due to the delay, the doctor began to worry and sensed that he is already a victim of estafa prompting him to seek the assistance of the CIDG,” said Coronel.

Currently, Coronel said that there are still 200,000 pieces of undelivered facemasks.

CIDG said the modus operandi of Mawanay is to sell medical supplies, particularly facemasks, online.

“He promises fast delivery. But once payment is made, he will then block the numbers of his customers and never completes the transactions; hence, no deliveries were ever made or completed,” said Coronel.

A background check revealed that Mawanay has standing arrest warrants in Quezon City, San Juan City, and Antipolo.

Mawanay had accused Lacson of involvement in various illegal activities, particularly in illegal drugs. He claimed that Lacson amassed millions of money from illegal activities.

He also linked Lacson’s trusted men, former police officer Cesar Mancao and Michael Ray Aquino, in the kidnap-slay of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer.

Mawanay also claimed that then Sen. now Antique Rep. Loren Legarda ordered some ₱10 million worth of smuggled cellular phones from him.

Mawanay served as a star witness of former Armed Forces intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Victor Corpus against former Lacson in 2001.