Bato to conduct own drug smuggling probe

MANILA, Philippines — Coming to the defense of the Duterte family, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa is planning to launch an investigation parallel to the one by a House panel wherein a former Bureau of Customs security officer linked Davao City Rep. Paolo “Polong” Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband Manases Carpio to the smuggling of illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa said he is preparing a resolution calling for an investigation on the “very unbelievable and illogical” allegations of Jimmy Guban that Duterte and his brother-in-law had anything to do with smuggling of illegal drugs, including P11 billion worth of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride seized in 2018.

Dela Rosa accused the enemies of the Dutertes of using Guban to destroy the family of the former president.

“If I don’t get blocked, if my resolution doesn’t get hijacked, I will file a resolution next week to investigate what a convicted Customs officer is saying,” Dela Rosa said.

Asked what he meant by “hijacked,” he told dwIZ yesterday that it meant having his resolution referred to other Senate committees that would only sit on it.

“That’s what I’m paying attention to now,” Dela Rosa said.

Aside from Duterte and Carpio, also linked by Guban to drug smuggling was Chinese businessman Michael Yang, who served as economic adviser to former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Guban hurled his allegations on Friday at the second joint hearing of the House of Representatives’ so-called quad committee, composed of the committees on dangerous drugs, public order and safety, public accounts and human rights.

Also raised during the hearing were allegations that funds from illegal activities of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) might have been used to reward law enforcers who executed drug suspects in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Dela Rosa said he was wondering why Guban raised his allegations only now.

“It is obviously scripted and unbelievable,” Dela Rosa said, referring to Guban’s House testimony. “He is a convicted criminal involved in drug trafficking,” the senator added.

Dela Rosa also debunked Guban’s claim that the previous administration was forcing him to implicate former senator Antonio Trillanes IV in illegal drugs.

The senator recalled that in the investigation conducted by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee on the seizure of P11 billion worth of shabu found inside a magnetic lifter, Guban did not mention the names of any of the Dutertes.

“Now that he has been convicted and now locked up in the New Bilibid Prisons, he made a story with these names he mentioned. It’s very unbelievable,” Dela Rosa said.

“The way Guban talked, I’m a retired PNP investigator, I can really see in a person’s speech if what he’s saying was true,” he said.

Dela Rosa said he does not feel the need to talk with House members involved in the quad panel investigation. “They are free to do their jobs, I respect parliamentary courtesy.”

But he stressed he would invite the persons Guban named to give them the chance to explain. “We will invite them to be fair, that’s the purpose of the investigation, to give the opportunity to hear both sides, hear every side,” Dela Rosa said.

He said he would definitely use Guban’s statement before the Blue Ribbon committee “to confirm why he changed his tone.”

The senator said he would also ask Guban if he is willing to take a lie detector or polygraph test.

He said he has yet to talk to Carpio, who he said might be among the resource persons to be invited to the Senate hearing.

Not yet a state witness

For Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, Guban is not yet considered a state witness.

Barbers made this clear yesterday, underscoring that the burden of proof is with Guban.

“He has to substantiate his statements with hard ebidence … We just allowed Mr. Guban to speak and whatever value he has, it will still be weighed by the committee,” Barbers told The STAR.

Barbers heads the House committee on dangerous drugs which is part of the quad committee created to investigate the links between extra-judicial killing, illegal drugs, Chinese criminal syndidates and POGOs.

Duterte denied knowing Guban and questioned his credibility as a witness.

According to Barbers, Guban earlier submitted an affidavit to the panel but they did not pay attention to it because it was unsigned.

Guban sent them a letter offering information about illegal drug activities in the country, including those involving Chinese businessman Michael Yang.

Yang is being investigated by Barber’s panel as he co-owned Emire 999 Realty Corp., which owns a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga where police siezed P3.6 billion worth of shabu in September 2023.

Barbers said Guban submitted another affidavit when they were already in Pampanga for the hearing.

“We gave him a chance to talk because he said he had information about Michael Yang. That was our target and then he said so many things already,” the Surigao del Norte lawmaker said.

Barbers noted the quad committee does not take Guban’s testimony “hook, (line) and sinker” but the panel appreciates all witnesses’ testimonies.

He added the panel is still studying whether it would invite the former president and Paolo to their hearings.

He also emphasized that there is no politics in whatever the quad committee is doing, as the panel’s only goal is to eliminate the ills of society.

“This is a unprecedented and historic committee with very clear objective of what it will do. We don’t want the efforts of the House to be put to waste, meaning politics is not involved here,” Barbers said.