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10月11日のまにら新聞から

Duterte ''declassifies'' report about detailed involvement of current, former police, PDEA, BOC officials

[ 1219 words|2018.10.11|英字 (English) ]

President Rodrigo Duterte has released to the media a "Secret Special Report" about the detailed alleged involvement of current and former law enforcement officials in the country's illegal drug trade.

Duterte, during a press conference in Malacanang Tuesday night, said he was declassifying the 15-page report, but he did not mention who prepared it.

He ordered Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go to release the document dated Sept. 12, 2018 when he was asked about Davao City-based businessman Michael Yang, who was allegedly being dragged into illegal drugs.

Named in the special report who were allegedly involved in the illegal drugs in the country were retired Philippine National Police Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto, sacked Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) deputy chief Ismael Fajardo Jr., and former Customs Intelligence agent Jimmy Guban.

The three former officials were implicated in the alleged entry of the missing P6.8-billion shabu allegedly contained inside the magnetic lifters found in Cavite.

According to the document, the special report was an offshoot of what transpired during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Sept. 11, 2018 wherein Guban was "cited for contempt for perjury and actual involvement in the P6.8-billion worth of smuggled shabu."

The document said that the report was also a compendium of summary of information of the "most notorious high-ranking law enforcement officials who are consistently involved in numerous illegal narcotics trade, which include among others."

In the summary of information about the three former government officials, it cited that Acierto was allegedly Fajardo's mentor and considered to be the one whom he took orders from when it came to anti-narcotics operations.

Acierto, who spent most of his career in anti-narcotics operations, allegedly amassed his wealth by recycling drugs that were confiscated and earning a substantial amount of money through extortion from arrested suspects, especially Chinese nationals, the special report said.

He allegedly gained the loyalty of his men, particularly in the defunct PNP-Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF), who also reportedly "enjoyed the fruits" of their illegal activities under the guise of legitimate anti-narcotics operations.

Acierto's group was also allegedly involved in fabricating stories and planting pieces of evidence, particularly drugs which were recycled from previous operations.

He was the officer-in-charge of the disbanded PNP-Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) when its operative allegedly killed Korean national Jee Ick Joo inside Camp Crame in October 2016. Jee's ashes reportedly were flushed in the toilet in a funeral parlor in Caloocan City.

Acierto was not charged in the incident for command responsibility after AIDSOTF was dissolved by Duterte.

Fajardo, in the special report, was tagged as the "scorer" or one who delivered accomplishments.

However, he was also allegedly branded as a "recycler of drugs and fabricator of stories," because instead of fully disclosing and surrendering the recovered drugs for purposes of inventory and disposal, he allegedly kept some portions of it for personal use and/or reselling, the report said.

"At times, Fajardo and his group use those drugs to plant evidence or make a 'scenario' for accomplishment," it added.

Before becoming a PDEA official, Fajardo spent most of his years with the PNP in anti-narcotics units.

The report said members of Fajardo's group allegedly engaged in illegal activities were Acierto, and 10 other policemen and civilian individuals.

The report cited some "anomalous incidents" involving Fajardo, such as in the case of Marines Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino, who was arrested by joint PDEA and PNP operatives in January 2016 during the supposed implementation of a search warrant in a house of suspected drug lord Atong Lee in Manila.

Fajardo allegedly "concocted stories to vilify Marcelino" and make a very big accomplishment out of his arrest.

The report said it was Fajardo and his group who were "going in and out" of the house that they searched.

It also said the public was made to believe that the residence was a clandestine shabu laboratory to claim rewards from PDEA's Private Eye Rewards Program although Fajardo's group allegedly simply used the place as a storage area of the drugs from Valenzuela.

"Nevertheless, they had been successful in making many people believe in their 'script' that Marcelino was comfortably sitting in a sofa when they entered the unit by showing photographs and videos which were actually taken in the lobby of PNP Headquarters at Camp Crame during the press conference when Marcelino was presented to the media," the report said.

In May last year, Marcelino was ordered released by a Manila court from detention after the Department of Justice dismissed the drug trafficking charges against them for insufficiency of evidence.

The report said Fajardo and his girlfriend were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation sometime in December 2016 for drug peddling. However, it added that the NBI did not pursue the case out of courtesy to fellow enforcer and after PDEA leadership intervened on his behalf.

Fajardo allegedly accumulated wealth which was disproportionate to his salary as a government employee. He allegedly owned real properties in Metro Manila and nearby areas worth at least P100 million.

Fajardo was also accused of rape by a woman whose bulletproof car he was using was the registered owner.

In the same report, Guban, who used to be with the Economic Intelligence Board of the Bureau of Customs, was allegedly involved in corruption and anomalies at the agency.

It said that Guban was allegedly involved in smuggling of illegal drugs, fireworks, rice, sugar, onions and garlic or ukay-ukay.

The report said it was Guban's style to impress his superior by providing accomplishments through raiding warehouses. But in truth, he was allegedly familiar with all the owners of warehouses he was raiding who were mostly Chinese.

"Those are the same owners whom he collects monthly 'tara' or grease money. The raids were his means of showing the owners that he has power and influence in the Intelligence Group of BOC so that they will continue to pay 'tara' to his group," it added.

Guban's modus was allegedly to arrange with the owners the raid of their warehouses by removing 75 percent of their goods and leave the 25 percent to be caught by the BOC officials and shown off for media mileage.

The report said Guban also introduced to then newly-appointed Customs Commissioner Nicador E. Faeldon certain Che Yu, an alleged member of the Bamboo Alliance Syndicate from Taiwan.

Guban and Yu told Faeldon they have businesses with warehouses at the Philippine Economic Zone Authority in Cavite and through this, it can resolve and reach the revenue collection target of BOC, the report said.

"Faeldon didn't agree to any of these deals due to the warnings given to him by the IG team," it said.

It said Guban was known as part of the Guardian brotherhood.

He also has alleged ties with the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency officials in the National Capital Region and with certain PNP general who was allegedly assigned in terrorism.

The report said Guban, who used to ride a motorcycle, had a new Land Cruiser and eventually possessed a number of homes after several operations and "accomplishments."

He also put up his own school, managed by his wife, within a matter of two years, the report said.

The report has recommended further investigation of the individuals and the filing of necessary charges against them. Celerina Monte/DMS