PASG: No drug haul in Quezon

MANILA, Philippines - The Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) denied yesterday that it has linked Liberal Party standard-bearer Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Quezon Gov. Rafael Nantes to the reported illegal drug trade in the province.

PASG officer-in-charge Danilo Mangila was referring to newspaper reports (not in The STAR) that the agency tagged Aquino and Nantes following a supposed raid on Icolong Island last week and the recovery of a huge haul of shabu as well as the attempt to capture fugitive drug lord Anton Ang.

Mangila said he and his men never issued a statement nor granted interviews on the raid so he was surprised that there were news articles about the incident that quoted PASG officials and presented details that were false.

“We never operate against (illegal) drugs in Quezon or any part of the country for PASG has no authority to conduct raids related to violations of the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Administration (PDEA) has the sole authority to conduct operations against any prohibited substance,” he said.

Mangila said the PASG received a tip about a possible shabu laboratory on Icolong Island. After obtaining a search warrant, a team proceeded to the area and found out that the report was false.

“What we found were just farm fertilizers, and no smuggled goods or prohibited substance. The foreign vessel might have passed by the island, but no one disembarked,” he said.

Mangila said he suspected some “local political opponents” who might have heard of the raid as behind the false news reports.

He appealed to all concerned not to use the PASG for their agenda. “We are just focused on our mandate,” he said.

PASG chief of staff Director Jeffrey Patawaran said they would take appropriate action against the newsmen behind the reports.