Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said there is a need to delve deeper into the alleged involvement “double cover-up” and “double recycling” attempts of police officers involved in the Oct. 8, 2022 drug bust in Tondo, Manila.

The anti-illegal drug operation had to do with the arrest of the controversial Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr.

Barbers, chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said that based on documents and video footages of said incident, the first of the double cover-up attempt transpired when officers from the PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PNP-DEG) tried but failed to come up with a scheme to “free” Mayo purportedly to be “used” in a follow-up drug sting operation in Pasig City.

“At base na rin sa official report ng PNP-DEG, hindi isinama ng arresting team si Mayo sa inventory ng persons arrested at mga seized drugs sa Tondo. At may spot report pa ang PNP-DEG SOU (Special Operations Unit) NCR na kasama nila si Mayo, on same day na naaresto sya, sa isang drug raid sa Pasig City (And based on the official report of PNP-DEG, the arresting team didn't include Mayo in the inventory of persons arrested along with the seized drugs in Tondo. And the PNP-DEG SOU even had a spot report saying Mayo was with them in a Pasig City drug raid on the same day he was arrested),,” he added.

The second cover-up attempt, Barbers said, was when two officers from the PNP-DEG SOU 4a – P/SMS Jerrywin Robosura and P/SMS Lorenzo Catarata – were captured in a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage loading into a white car two black bags containing "shabu".

“At first, the reports said the bags only contain 30 kilos of shabu purportedly to be paid out to the PNP-DEG SOU 4a “assets”. It turned out the bags contain 42 kilos during an inventory, and if they succeeded to cover it up, Robosura and Catarata would have a “savings” of 12 kilos of shabu,” noted the veteran congressman.

On the issue of what was believed to be a “double recycling” attempts, Barbers said two kilos of shabu, part of the more than 990 kilos of under safekeeping and custody of Mayo, were reportedly seized from him during the Tondo drug buy-bust operation.

"Dito, sa mga oras na ito, nahuli na nagbebenta ng shabu si Mayo na PNP-DEG agent (In this instance, Mayo was caught peddling shabu to a PNP-DEG agent),” he said.

The second attempt, he said, was the “stealing” of 42 kilos of shabu from inside Mayo’s WPD Lending office that was caught on CCTV footage and which was declared officially as only 30 kilos purportedly to be paid out to PNP-DEG “assets", leaving 12 kilos more of shabu as “savings.”

“Hindi kukupit ng 42 kilos si Robusura at Catarata ng hindi alam ng kanilang mga superiors at kasamahan. At kung yung 42 kilos ay hindi ididiklara ng mga ito sa official inventory report, ano sa palagay natin ang gagawin nila. Malamang ire-recycle din nila yan,” Barbers said (Robusura and Catarata wouldn't pilfer 42 kilos without the knowledge of their superiors and colleagues. And if the 42 kilos wasn't declared in the official inventory report, what do you think they will do. They will probably recycle it)," Barbers said.

Barbers further claimed that Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos was apparently was “blinded”, if not “hoodwinked”, by his subordinates from the PNP on what really transpired on the ground during the Tondo drug raid. He said Abalos was still warming his as DILG chief when the incident happened.

Abalos, he said, was made to believe that Mayo was arrested in a hot pursuit operation by PNP-DEG agents at Quezon Bridge, Quiapo, Manila for possession of shabu. "Pero base sa mga naglalabasan na CCTV video footage sa crime scene ay malinaw na walang ganitong nangyari (But based on the CCTV video footage that have emerged on the crime, clearly none of this happened)."

Abalos earlier asked all police colonels and generals to submit their courtesy resignations as part of the DILG’s campaign to rid the PNP of officers allegedly involved in illegal drugs. Later, he announced that there was massive attempt to cover up the case of Mayo.