Bato blows top over 990 kilos shabu testimony

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald dela Rosa blew his top after policemen gave conflicting testimonies during the continuation of the hearing over the 990 kilos of shabu allegedly seized from a police officer last October.

Dela Rosa, the chairman of the Senate committee on public order, even threatened to cite in contempt all the police officers serving as resource persons at the public hearing yesterday.

“I will put all of you in jail! There is so much cover-up. No one believes you! You are pointing at each other,” said Dela Rosa in Filipino.

Dela Rosa tried to establish the source of information of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) Special Operations Unit-Region 4A that led to the seizure of the P6.7 billion worth of shabu from an establishment allegedly owned by former Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo last October.

The senator even threatened to punch the police officers for apparently not telling the truth.

“Most likely they (policemen) are lying with the syndicate or they are afraid that the syndicate will get back at them. Either they are with the syndicate or they are afraid of the syndicate,” he noted.

Dela Rosa hinted that Mayo is not the only owner of the 990 kilos of shabu seized from his establishment as somebody higher than him was a part of their operations.

However, the senator said he could not see any evidence yet to link former PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin and Mayo’s superior, PDEG director Police Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo, to the cover-up.

The senator grilled police Capt. Jonathan Sosongco, the head of the arresting team, and other police officers involved in the operation about the identity of their informant but they were evasive and invoked their right against self-incrimination.

Dela Rosa said the policemen were asking for a monetary reward for their informant even though they did not have an actual informant. He noted that Sosongco claimed he has an informant whom he was calling for information.