Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson
Ping Lacson has been in the orbit of power for four decades. Graduating from the Philippine Military Academy in 1971, he was recruited into the Metrocom Intelligence Service Group (MISG), Marcos’ elite anti-subversion squad that gained a reputation for ruthlessness, corruption and impunity. Empowered and massively funded, MISG cops established a deadly reputation for implementing state terror and acting as the regime’s brutal operatives. “These top police,” writes McCoy, “engaged in systemic human rights abuses and syndicated gambling, drugs, or smuggling.”