PDEA’s high-profile drug cases to highlight congressional probe
Today’s congressional probe by the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs will hear and see updates on Iloilo’s sensational and “high-profile” drug cases.
As such, it will seemingly be a “show and tell” moment for top officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as principal resource persons.
With take off from the controversial “Balasan Boys” case, highly-placed sources told The News Today (TNT) that the inquiry will in fact have a complete take on the “drug scenario” here.
The “Balasan Boys” tag came to view following the “Alabang Boys” brouhaha in Manila, both drug cases that dragged government prosecutors in the fray.
Among the expected side-issues cum side-cases will be the now dismissed drug case of Cairoden Abdullah.
With over two years in Court battle and lengthy legal exchanges, a Department of Justice Resolution (DOJ) eventually led to the withdrawal of the drug raps. No less than Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez penned the Resolution promulgated in May 19, 2008.
It was then a major slap on the PDEA with the withdrawal pushed at the height of the case heard before Branch 36 of the 6th Regional Trial Court (RTC) here.
Docketed as Criminal Case No. 05-61786, Abdullah stood as sole respondent/accused for violation of Section 11, Republic Act 9165 otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. Principal complainants in the case were PDEA's Police Officer (PO) 2 Robert Catubuan and PO 1 Jonel Docdocil.
TNT further learned that efforts are pooled to have more disclosures of dismissed drug cases from yet another group known to be “anti-Gonzalez/ anti-City Prosecutors.”
This, as an open letter signed “Concerned Iloilo Court Employees” also spread yesterday with specifics on the issue.
The Abdullah concern topped the list perceived as “on-going anomalies in the Hall of Justice of Iloilo City relative to the administration of criminal justice.”
The letter lashed at the Justice Secretary, Iloilo City Prosecutor Peter Baliao and Assistant Prosecutor Gonorio Aragona. It charged that the trio purportedly bungled the prosecution of the Abdullah case “through patent laxity, inexcusable neglect and deliberately causing its unsuccessful prosecution and/or dismissal.”
Likewise mentioned and expected to be “reported” in the congressional inquiry was the drug case involving a John Rey Prevendido. Two Court Judges have since inhibited interpreted by the “Concerned Employees” as “flimsy.”
The two city prosecutors allegedly “..did not lift a finger to file an objection or comment.”
For PDEA lead counsel, noted Ilonggo lawyer Ronnie Delicana, such and more are not PDEA’s business.
“We are not really concerned who gets “hit’ by the inquiry. We are more concerned on the possible amendments that we want introduced in our existing drug law. We need our law to be more responsive to the current time… we want a law that is more effective,” Delicana told TNT.
Among the amendments PDEA wants to see are the requirements set relative to provisions on on-site inventory.
“We want these simplified. There are cases that we get harassed in the scene so we would want to see a law that will allow us to have the inventory of recoveries not only limited to the drug scene itself. Further still, we also would want that in the case where the presence of a DOJ representative is needed in drug operations, the law should also now state that said representative must be present in all related operations so as not to delay us. And amendment as well on the need to grant the PDEA prosecutorial powers since at the present set-up, we do the bust and only become the complainant. And lastly, on the matter of qualitative and quantitative testing of drug recoveries. There should not be any distinction on the these – quality and quantity of drugs. If a drug bust arrest one peddler with 10 grams of adulterated Shabu – say 30 grams only Shabu and the rest are not – prosecution must still be the same as one caught with 10 grams of real Shabu,” Delicana said.
Today’s congressional probe will be held at the Sarabia Manor Hotel and open to the public. The proceedings are expected to be aired live in local broadcast networks.
As earlier reported, expected is an “all-star cast” of the region’s top officials and agents of the PDEA and the Iloilo Provincial Prosecutors Office.
At least eight members of the 14th Congress particularly the chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs are set for an all-afternoon kick-off probe.
The investigation in aid of legislation was pushed by Iloilo Fifth District Representative Neil Tupas Jr.
Reportedly confirmed to attend the Iloilo hearing are Cebu Representative Antonio Cuenco, Muntinlupa Representative Roque Biazon, Cagayan Representative Manny Mamba, Cavite Representative PD Varzaga and Representative Roquito Ablan, Dangerous Drugs House Committee chairman.
It will be an interesting ‘get-together’ for the PDEA and the Office of the Provincial Prosecutors particularly two top prosecutors, Provincial Prosecutor Bernabe Dusaban and Ricaflor Obsequio. The duo has since been in the center of the “Balasan Boys” controversy that caused the end of Iloilo Provincial Government support to said office.
Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas Sr. accused the provincial prosecutors to be “friends of drug personalities.”