Mega shabu lab ‘financier’ killed in Bilibid riot

CEBU, Philippines —  Calvin de Jesus Tan, the supposed financier of the billion-worth shabu laboratory in Cebu – the biggest in Southeast Asia at that point – was among the four who died in the riot inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) last Monday, the Department of Justice (DOH) said.

DOJ spokesperson, Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, said on Tuesday night that while the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has not yet confirmed the identity of the deceased Tan, prison records showed that he is the same person extradited by the Hong Kong government.

“The BuCor hasn’t confirmed yet that it is the same person, but based on Calvin Tan’s prison record, he has the same first, middle, and last name as Calvin Tan extradited from Hong Kong, and the same age, so we can already report that it is the same person,” Villar said.

In Wednesday’s Kapihan sa Manila Bay, BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag clarified that Tan was a Filipino national and not a Chinese national, as reported earlier.

Tan was also a member of the Sputnik Gang.

“We treat him as a victim of this incident,” Chaclag said.

The Sputnik Gang is one of the groups allegedly involved in the riot that broke out at the New Bilibid Prison last October 9. Seven Sputnik members and two members of the Commando Gang died in the incident.

Aside from Tan, three other persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) died in last Monday’s riot, namely Ace Pempena, Edgar Publico, and Jonathan Rodriguez, while 62 others were injured.

Cebu Case

It was on September 24, 2004 when operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF), and Criminal Intelligence and Detection Group (CIDG) from the National Capital Region (NCR) busted the shabu laboratory at a warehouse on Plaridel Street, Barangay Umapad, Mandaue City in Cebu.

Seized in the raid were 675 kilos of shabu worth P1.5 billion and enough chemicals to produce 15 tons more of the banned substance.

Tan’s fellow accused, Hung Ching Chang or Simon Lao, who turned as state witness, was the one who pinned Tan down as financier of the drug operations. Tan had denied this and said it was actually Lao who financed the shabu laboratory.

But in a 277-page ruling, then RTC Branch 28 Presiding Judge Marilyn Yap, gave more weight to Lao’s statement, as his testimony nailed not just Tan but also the other accused in the case.

Yap sentenced the so-called “Shabu 11” to life imprisonment and fined them P10 million each.

The other convicts are Allan Garcia, Lin Li Ku, Joseph Lopez, Liu Bo, Siew Kin Weng, Tao Fei, Wu Tiao Yi, Joseph Yu, Bao Xiafu and Liew Kam Song.

Tan, for his part, was arrested by the Hong Kong Customs Police on September 29, 2004 and was extradited to the Philippines.

He was presented to Arroyo in July of 2005.

They were all brought to the NBP in 2014, except for Tan who appealed his conviction. He was transferred to the NBP a year later.

Tan had used several aliases, including Lin Chui Wi, Joey Ng, and Joey Lin.

Surprised

Atty. Paul Oaminal, former legal consultant of PDEA, said he was surprised of Tan’s death. Now, he said, Tan could no longer serve his prison sentence.

“Na surprise ko aning balita-a but I am still asking PDEA in Manila the veracity of that report. Pero og namatay gyud si Calvin, then dili na niya maserbisyohan iyang life sentence; patay na man,” Oaminal told The Freeman yesterday.

(I was surprised upon hearing the news but I’m still asking PDEA in Manila on the veracity of that report. If Calvin, indeed, died, then he can no longer serve his life sentence.)

Oaminal, together with former Cebu City South District Rep. Antonio Cuenco, was among those who helped the government extradite Tan from Hong Kong. — JMO, Philippine Star News Service, (FREEMAN)