PNP chief: No cover-up in P6.7 billion drug haul case

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) is adamant that there was “definitely” no cover-up in the arrest of dismissed police M/Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo last year in connection with the 900 kilograms of shabu valued at P6.7 billion seized in October.

Last week, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos claimed there was a “massive cover-up” in the arrest of Mayo, and advised 10 ranking police officials to go on leave or face suspension.

At a press briefing yesterday, PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said there is no way he would have covered up for Mayo.

He also vouched for the integrity of the two highest ranking officials who were forced to go on leave – the former PNP deputy chief of operations and the head of the Drug Enforcement Group (DEG).

Abalos, however, stood firm on his accusations, and asked yesterday why it was taking so long for the PNP to file charges against 49 policemen implicated in the alleged pilferage of 42 kilos of the 900 kilos of seized shabu.

“Definitely, we are not covering up for Mayo. Who is Mayo to me?” Azurin told reporters yesterday in Filipino. “He is a scourge, he is one of those destroying the image of the PNP. Will we cover him up? No way.”

The PNP chief added that he ordered the creation of the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) 990 to uncover the circumstances of the pilferage of 42 kilos of the 900 kilos of seized shabu.

“Let me categorically say that there was no attempt to cover up to exculpate Mayo from his involvement in the illegal drug operations. Why start a fact-finding group in the first place if there was no intent to dig deeper into this drug mess – which obviously continued to persist through the years?” he added.

Assuring said the investigation will also look into a certain Captain Jonathan Sosongco, who supposedly looked like the person commanding the pilferage of the suspected shabu.

“As (Director for Investigation and Detective Management Maj. Gen. Eliseo) Cruz said, by all actions, Sosongco was directing. From where was he getting the orders?” he said.

Azurin also urged Abalos to “take a second look” at people who may be feeding him misinformation and focus on the drug war.

“While I join [Abalos] in the fight against erring personnel in the police force, let us not lose focus on the real enemy here – which is shabu and the drug syndicates,” he said.

Azurin bared there were also hundreds of millions worth of suspected illegal drugs in La Union, Pangasinan, Pampanga and Baguio City.

Azurin added that he will share information with Abalos, “so he can help us in going after some scalawags who could be blindsiding him and some officials of the government in the anti-drug campaign.”

He also vouched for former PNP-Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) Director Narciso Domingo, saying that he has known Domingo a long time and he is confident of his integrity.

“I am certain General Domingo had no involvement in drugs. He is not tainted, and I placed him there because I am sure he does not have any touch of corruption in him,” Azurin said.

He added a deal concerning the non-filing of cases against Mayo was never discussed.

“I agreed before about the follow-up operation, but it was never discussed that there would be no cases (filed against Mayo),” he said.

“That is very basic. (Domingo) recommended to have a follow up, so I said, everything is based on trust. But definitely, the non-filing of a case was not discussed. I am very definite about that,” he added.

Azurin also slammed the move to name police officials who were supposedly involved in the case. “That is not just unfair, it is very unfair because we are accusing generals despite the lack of evidence,” he said.

Delayed PNP report

Abalos questioned the delay of the report of the SITG’s recommending the filing of charges against 49 policemen involved in the missing 42 kilos of shabu which were part of the 990 kilos seized from Mayor in October 2022.

“It happened in October… It’s been six months now, and finally it came out but it only covered 42 kilos. The 900 kilos (of shabu) is more crucial and it is important that the case will not be dismissed,” Abalos said.

Gen. Cruz said the indictments against 12 police commissioned officers and 37 non-commissioned officers will be made as soon as possible.

Abalos added that there were many lapses in the operation of the PNP. “Based on what we saw in the videotapes, they need to explain a lot. Even General Domingo admitted that there were indeed lapses,” he said.

He added that former PNP deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Benjamin Santos Jr. also failed to answer many issues during his interview.

“Among those he (Santos) cannot answer were those lapses mentioned by Gen. Domingo. That’s what we want to know as it’s a shame to the people if this case will be dismissed. We owe it to them for the biggest drug haul in our country,” Abalos said.

Santos was among the 10 police officials whom Abalos asked to go on leave for alleged cover-up to shield Mayo from prosecution.

Double, double

The DILG should investigate reports that cops in the P6.7 billion worth of shabu haul may be guilty of “double cover-up and double recycling,” Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said yesterday.

Documents and video footage have shown that the first cover-up “transpired when officers from the PNP Drug Enforcement Group tried but failed to come up with a scheme to free Mayo Jr. to be used in a follow-up drug sting operation in Pasig City,” said Barbers, chairman of the dangerous drugs committee of the House of Representatives.

“The second cover-up attempt was when two officers from the PNP-DEG Special Operations Unit 4a – P/SMS Jerrywin Robosura and P/SMS Lorenzo Catarata – were captured in a CCTV footage for loading into a white car two black bags containing shabu,” Barbers stated.

“At first, the reports said the bags only contained 30 kilos of shabu purportedly to be paid out to the PNP-DEG SOU 4 assets. It turned out the bags contained 42 kilos during an inventory, and if they succeeded to cover it up, Robosura and Catarata would have a savings of 12 kilos of shabu,” Barbers noted.

The Surigao del Norte congressman also noticed what he termed as “double recycling.”

The second attempt was the “stealing” of 42 kilos of shabu from inside Mayo’s WPD Lending office caught on CCTV video footage and which was declared officially as only 30 kilos purportedly to be paid out to PNP-DEG “assets,” leaving 12 kilos more of shabu as savings.

Barbers said Abalos was apparently “blinded,” if not “hoodwinked,” by his subordinates from the PNP on what really transpired on the ground during the drug raid.

Recommendations

Meanwhile, Azurin said the five-man advisory group formed to screen the ranking PNP officers already submitted their recommendations.

The five-man panel was earlier formed to weed out those allegedly with drug ties.

Azurin yesterday told reporters that the recommendations were submitted to the National Police Commission. “This Thursday will be the final draft,” he said, adding that some ranking officials were recommended to be cleared by the advisory group, while some are still being deliberated.

Body cameras

Even without the enactment of a law, the PNP can and should make it a requirement to have those involved in anti-drug operations use body-worn cameras, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said yesterday.

“If in the simple serving of search and arrest warrants, this (wearing of bodycam) is a requirement, more so that these are done in anti-drug operations,” Estrada said in Filipino.

The Supreme Court, in its administrative ruling, stated that failure to comply with the regulation would make the evidence seized during an operation inadmissible in court, the senator said.

“The problem lies, I believe, in the lack of funds for the procurement of these devices,” Estrada said.

Out of the 260,000-strong PNP, only 3,000 have body-worn cameras.

DILG-PBA

Abalos signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner Willie Marcial and PBA chairman Ricky Vargas supporting the DILG’s campaign against illegal drugs under its Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan flagship program.

At a press conference, Abalos said the government’s war on illegal drugs is not only focused on supply but also on demand reduction.

The signing was held during the third quarter of Game 4 of the PBA Governor’s Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra and TNT Tropang Gilas. –Bella Cariaso, Paolo Romero, Delon Porcalla