Marcelino’s co-accused surrenders to NBI

MANILA, Philippines - A Chinese man who was charged along with Marine Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino in a drug case surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Tuesday night.

“Gusto ko linis pangalan ko at ni Col. Marcelino (I want to clear my name and that of Col. Marcelino),” Yan Yi Shuo, 34, told reporters yesterday.

Yan, who said he worked with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as an interpreter and informant since 2005, said the allegations against them are trumped up.

Yan, also known as Randy, said he and Marcelino were doing surveillance work when they were arrested by agents from the PDEA’s Special Enforcement Service – which Marcelino used to head – in Unit 15 of the Celadon Residences in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Jan. 21, 2016.

He described Marcelino as “malinis (clean),” both as a person and as an official.

Yan said he and Marcelino, who surrendered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday afternoon, did not hide, adding that he was staying in the province.

He said he had been attending hearings at the Manila regional trial court, the latest in November last year.

Yan is staying in the NBI’s detention facility after he was booked at the office of the NBI’s Special Task Force. STF chief Moises Tamayo said they have to wait for a lawyer to represent Yan before he is brought back to court.

Manila Regional Trial Court  Branch 49 Judge Daniel Villanueva, in a Dec. 22 order, issued arrest warrants for Marcelino and Yan for possession of 76.7 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu and 490 milliliters of liquid shabu, with a street value of at least P380 million.

The Department of Justice in September found probable cause to charge the two men, reversing its previous ruling in June.

New pleas

Marcelino yesterday asked the court to lift the arrest warrant against him, saying the judge “failed to consider” that his presence in the apartment “was in fulfillment of his duty as a military intelligence officer.” He said he went to the area with Yan to verify “raw information” that it was an abandoned shabu facility.

He earlier submitted a certification from the Philippine Army Intelligence Group showing that he is sharing information on the alleged involvement of Army personnel in the illegal drug trade.

Meanwhile, the AFP officially asked the court to allow the military to continue taking custody of Marcelino at the military police custodial facility and present him for court hearings.

Col. Edgard Arevalo, AFP public affairs office chief, said Marcelino has been instrumental in the arrest and prosecution of several high-profile personalities involved in the illegal drug trade and organized crime syndicates and his life would be in danger if he is placed in a regular jail.

Arevalo cited that one of the biggest drug busts in Tarlac was based on the information Marcelino provided. – With Edu Punay, Michael Punongbayan