Cezar Mancao II has become a celebrity of sorts, not merely because of his bio movie which stars Phillip Salvador, but also because of his alleged involvement in the infamous in the Dacer-Corbito murder case which led to his asylum and subsequent imprisonment in the United States.
But more than his political entanglements, it is Mancao’s success as a real estate agent in the US which makes him a true survivor. This survivor instinct could be an advantage for him and the people of Compostela Valley where he is running for Congress.
Mancao had been with government for 21 years. Some of his government career highlights include a stint as Philippine Constabulary chief of the Davao Metrodiscom during the Marcos administration and then as chief of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) based in Luzon.
He has come a long way from his Monkayo Central Elementary School days. A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy in 1986, Mancao went as far as the third year in a law school. These experiences, however, did not prepare him for the bigger challenges he would have to face, sufferings that he could not even imagine in his wildest dreams.
“Sinong mag-aakala na ang PAOCTF chief makukulong sa maximum security prison sa US” he said in jest. Mancao’s first incarceration was in 2006 after he was identified as a material witness in the espionage case against Michael Aquino.
The first time they told him he was a material witness to the case, he evaded arrest in the US. However, US operatives raided his house and arrested him. He was detained at a maximum security prison in Miami. Florida. “Iba doon kahit material witness ka pa prisoner pa rin ang labas mo,” he added.
He said he communicated with Senator Panfilo Lacson asking for his help which the latter promised. “Hiningi pa nga nya ang bank account ko,” he said. However, Lacson’s promise has remained a promise unfulfilled. “Humingi din ako ke Erap (then President Joseph Estrada) pero walang tumulong at naiwan ako sa ere,” he said.
Mancao, who constantly looked furtively around during our one-on-one interview in a public place in Davao City, said imprisonment had changed him a lot. He was placed in an old elevator which had been conve rted into a small cell, with both his hands and feet cuffed and chained. He had the privilege of a one hour walk per week.
Top realtor in the US
But life was not entirely one of suffering for him in the US where he and his family moved to after the Dacer murder case became headline stuff in the Philippines. “I started from scratch in the US nagbebenta ako ng relo, lotion, knives—naging security guard pa nga ako for more than two years,” he said.
The break for Mancao came after three years when he finally hit the jackpot and became not only a realtor, but one of the top 3% certified international property specialists in the US. “I was the second Filipino to achieve that feat,” he said proudly. This certification allowed him to sell property anywhere in the world.
A mortgage broker in the US (prior to the housing meltdown) can be very rich and successful. He was able to make his dream of owning a house in the US a reality. He would buy houses, dress them up and sell them for a profit.
“Madaling umasenso ang Pilipino doon kung marunong ka lang (Filipinos will easily succeed there if they are smart enough to know what to do),” he said. The first thing he did was to make sure he got a good credit rating. Your financial status in the US is only as good as your credit rating. [LAC]
Then, one fateful day the real estate sector and the US economy collapsed. Despite that, he said, he was still able to sell real estate. The extradition case against him came when he was in the process of selling almost a hundred homes. Everything became hell after that.
Mancao said he decided to become a state witness when he realized that no help was forthcoming from the people he thought were his friends. “I decided may as well tell the truth,” he said.
His Politics
He said he is confident that his exposure in the media will help him with his candidacy. “Pati nga mga nasa bukid kilala ako dahil sa mga nangyari,” he said. Mancao said he believes in reform and vowed to implement changes in Comval.
On top of Mancao’s priority list, if he wins a seat in Congress, is transparency in government which he aims to establish by putting up a satellite office in every major area in his district. He also cited the need for an ambulance service there and vows to improve health care in the area.
It is difficult to determine if Mancao is telling the truth in the Dacer-Corbito murder case, or what his motivation is for turning state witness—-although, he already made that clear. One thing for sure, though, is Mancao’s ability to turn misfortune into fortune as he showed with is stint as a top realtor in the US, a very competitive industry difficult to penetrate even by Americans themselves, he said. But will this help him win a Congressional seat representing the first district of Comval? The answer to that will come after May 10, 2010.
