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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Senate panel cites two cops involved in illegal drug recycling for contempt  

Senate panel cites two cops involved in illegal drug recycling for contempt  

Published Mar 15, 2023 07:25 am
  The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on Wednesday, March 15 has cited in contempt two anti-illegal drug operatives who pilfered 42 kilos of shabu during an anti-drug operation in Manila last year.   In particular, Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa cited in contempt MSgt. Jerrywin Rebosora and MSgt. Lorenzo Catarata, who were both present during the Senate panel’s investigation, acting on Sen. Rafael “Raffy” Tulfo’s motion to cite both law enforcers for contempt for lying to the committee regarding their involvement in the missing 42 kilos of shabu following the confiscation of almost a ton of shabu that were seized in front of lending firm “Wealth and Personal Development Lending, Inc.” in Sta. Cruz, Manila.   The lending firm was reportedly owned by Police MSgt. Rodolfo Mayo, an operative of the Philippine National Police-Drug Enforcement Group (PNP-DEG). He was arrested following the operation.   Drug operatives said the 42 kilos that the two cops pilfered from the confiscated shabu had an estimated street value of about P280-million.   “With a heavy heart.. gusto ko maiyak bakit nangyari ito (I want to weep why this happened). MSgt. Rebosora and MSgt. Catarata are hereby cited in contempt and are ordered detained wthin the premises of the Senate,” Dela Rosa said during the hearing.    “Niloloko niyo ako, harap-harapan. Nag-take out kayo, tapos harap-harapan niloloko niyo ako. Ayoko sana kayong i-contempt. Ako, never, in my wildest imagination, (naisip) na mag cite ng contempt ng isang resource person, lalong-lalo na mga tauhan ko dati, mga uniformed police (You are fooling me face to face. You took out a portion, then you are trying to dupe me. I don’t want to cite you in contempt. Never in my wildest imagination, thought of citing a resource person in contempt, especially former comrades, uniformed police),” the former PNP chief further said.   “Napakasakit sa kalooban ko na ma-contempt kayo (It hurts me to cite you in contempt), but the rules of the Senate says so,” he reiterated.   PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) Maj. Gen. Eliseo Cruz said they were able to identify Rebosora and Catarata after careful review of the CCTV located at the place of the operation.    Dela Rosa, however, said the two totally denied being the persons in the CCTV.    “Talagang nagsinunggaling sila (They really lied). So Sen. Tulfo made a motion to cite them in contempt,” he pointed out.   During the hearing, Tulfo called out Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo why he didn’t investigate the police asset who offered to be an informant in exchange for a 30 percent cut on all seized drugs.   Tulfo said Lazo should have exercised diligence and probed who were the persons behind such offer.    “Sino yan (Who was that)? You should have asked that. Nagtataka ako bakit hindi mo tinanong yun (I’m wondering why you didn’t ask him that question),” Tulfo pointed out.    Former PDEA chiefs Wilkins Villanueva and Aaron Aquino, however, denied such practice of offering 30 percent of the seized illegal drugs to informants was existing in the agency during their time.    But Dela Rosa said the committee “is not trying to shoot the messenger” but that the Senate has a moral obligation to prod intended recipients of their public hearings to exercise “due diligence” on their part.     

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PNP Sen. Ronald Bato dela Rosa PDEA illegal drug trade
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