MANILA, Philippines - Former Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Saturday said he believes Sen. Panfilo Lacson may be convicted because of a very weak line of defense against the 2 counts of murder filed against him for his alleged involvement in the November 2000 killing of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito.

"The case is strong, more than probable cause. Ping's problem is that his defense is his alibi. He said he was not here at the time [the crime was committed]. [This] Alibi is the weakest possible defense in a criminal case," Gonzalez said in a radio dzMM interview.

The former justice secretary said that he was "happy" that a warrant of arrest has been issued by the court against Lacson.

Gonzalez was the secretary of the justice department when former police officer Cezar Mancao executed an affidavit, linking Lacson to the double murders. He was also responsible for the extradition of Mancao from the United States.

Mancao was a subordinate of Lacson when he was still chief of the defunct Police Anti-Organized Crime Task Force.

"What I did was simply to see to it that there will be justice in the case of Dacer and Corbito. We had extradition in his case, and we have witnesses. So the process must proceed otherwise we will have selective justice in this country," the former justice secretary said.

He said Lacson could have already predicted that a warrant would be issued for his arrest when he left for Hong Kong last January 5, almost a month after 2 murder cases were filed against him by the government.

The cases were based on a complaint filed by the daughters of Dacer.

Can't hide forever

Gonzalez said that he believes Lacson would eventually be arrested. He said National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) may have already asked the Interpol to issue an international alert for the senator's arrest.

The justice department on Friday said that Lacson officially became a fugitive when Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18 Judge Myra Fernandez issued the warrant arrest.

"I don't think he can hide from this forever," Gonzalez said, adding that Lacson may also realize that evading the authorities would damage his stature as a senator.

He said that instead of hiding, Lacson should use all legal means to prove his innocence as he claims to be.

There were earlier reports that Lacson had fled to Australia, but the NBI said they have verified information that the senator is not in Australia.

The NBI said the senator may still be in Hong Kong.

'Flight justifiable'

Meanwhile, retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz admitted that he knew Lacson was going abroad.

"I knew Lacson was leaving. We met two or three days before he left, but I don't know where he was going," Cruz said in a news item posted on the official website of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

The bishop said that Lacson had told him why he was leaving the country, and he thought the decision was "justifiable."

"He is not a coward. He just does not stand a chance, and would have difficulty in getting a just trial," he said. "I was listening to him. His decision to leave the country is justifiable."

Lacson had aided the archbishop in the past in his personal crusade against the numbers racket "jueteng."

Cruz said he believes Lacson's claim that he had nothing to do with the murders of Dacer and his driver.