Maricel Soriano denies drug links, knowledge of PDEA documents

MANILA, Philippines — Actress Maricel Soriano has denied any knowledge of the supposedly leaked Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) documents linking her and President Marcos to illegal drugs.

During yesterday’s public hearing on the investigation on the so-called PDEA leaks by the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, its chairman Sen. Ronald dela Rosa asked Soriano about the documents that were exposed by a vlogger and went viral.

“In the viral documents that are associated with your name, do you think there is truth in the documents?” Dela Rosa asked Soriano.

Soriano replied: “First of all, I don’t know about the documents. I only knew about that when it was shown to me because I don’t read such things. Ah, I don’t know anything.”

Clad in a white dress, the veteran actress admitted she was nervous being in the Senate premises for the first time.

Dela Rosa asked Soriano: “Are you the owner of unit 46-C Rizal Tower located at Rockwell Barangay Poblacion, Makati City?”

“Yes, until 2012. I had already sold it. I am no longer there,” Soriano answered.

Dela Rosa noted that whistleblower and former PDEA agent Jonathan Morales’ pre-operations document covered the time of the sale of the unit.

“But then you admit that you are the owner and, at the same time, the occupant of such unit, the unit 46-C, in 2012 you sold it?” the senator said, as he inquired about the property’s deed of sale, which Soriano said she would try to locate.

In her opening statement, Soriano apologized as she appeared very tense.

“First of all, I apologize because I’m not used to things like this. You know, it’s the first time I have received an invitation to appear before the Senate. It’s nerve-wracking and scary. To be honest, it’s not clear to me why I was invited to the hearing... I’m sorry if I’m really confused here,” she said.

Dela Rosa also asked Soriano about the veracity of news reports in 2011 that her two former household workers lodged a complaint of serious physical injury against her.

He added that the two workers left her because of her use of cocaine.

Soriano stated that the house helpers left the condominium unit after stealing from her and she could not have beaten them because they were two persons.

Dela Rosa did not pursue questioning the actress and later told reporters that he could sense how tense Soriano was.

Morales claimed that an informant gave him information about drug use, but he could not recall the identity of the informant, thus senators questioned the veracity of the information he provided to the Senate panel.

Still very far from truth

The allegation of Marcos’ drug use is “very far to be proven,” Dela Rosa said yesterday during the same Senate hearing.

The President’s alleged drug use was only taken by former Morales from a confidential agent, whom the latter refused to identify during yesterday’s resumption of the hearing, according to Dela Rosa.

“That is very far to be proven. That’s just info coming from a confidential informant. The operation did not push through,” Dela Rosa told Senate reporters.

“Why would you immediately say that the President could be pinned down there? A mere information can pin down a sitting President? No, whatever public imagination, you can’t just say that you can pin people down just because of information, it’s still very far from the truth,” the senator added.

Dela Rosa clarified that he is not condemning Marcos as he pursued Morales’ allegation.

“My situation is difficult, the DDS (are) angry with me why I am not pressing the investigation, but I am just being objective. And I know that Malacañang is also angry that I conducted the investigation,” he added, referring to diehard supporters of the former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Dela Rosa noted that he understood if the Palace resented his conduct of the investigation.

“What do you expect, are you happy if you are the President, the investigation will be conducted with your name on it? You would really react negatively,” he said.

“What can I do, I am just doing my job. If I have an agenda, maybe it’s to overthrow that. My point here regarding the PDEA leaks is that I have no agenda to destroy people. I am not like Trillanes, who is a destabilizer,” he added, referring to former senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Dela Rosa said that his committee would just need more evidence before it could wrap up the probe. — Emmanuel Tupas