Morales kills own credibility with this admission
At A Glance
- Dismissed Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent Jonathan Morales appears to have killed his own credibility after admitting to the planting of evidence--a big no-no--during the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on Monday, May 13.
- Morales is the star witness in the ongoing "PDEA leaks" probe.
Jonathan Morales (Senator Dela Rosa's Facebook)
Is there anything left of dismissed Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent Jonathan Morales' credibility?
This quesion was left on the minds of lawmakers and the public during the third hearing of the "PDEA leaks" investigation in the Senate Monday, May 13 wherein Morales admitted to the act of planting evidence, which resulted to his dismissal from service.
Former PDEA officials revealed the resource person’s string of criminal and administrative cases--seriously damaging his credibility in the process--during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs chaired by Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa.
Former PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac revealed that Morales had admitted to falsifying his testimony and planting evidence during an operation against alleged Filipino-Chinese drug suspects.
“Mr. Morales said that the contents of his affidavit were false because the evidence were fabricated and the evidence planted,” Cacdac said, citing a memorandum by the PDEA Legal and Prosecution Service dated Dec. 26, 2012.
“Kaya ako po ay namangha. Ang tagal ko po sa serbisyo, ngayon lang ako nakaranas nang ganun,” the former PDEA chief noted.
(This is why I'm amazed. In all my years in service, it's only now that I've experienced something like this.)
Following Cacdac’s statements, Morales was asked to respond and said, “Totoo po ‘yung sinasabi ni General Cacdac (What General Cacdac is saying is true)."
PDEA Legal and Prosecution Service Acting Director Francis del Valle also said that “The name Bongbong Marcos alyas Bonget does not appear in the national drug information system or interagency drug information database. Hence, he has never been included in the drug war list.”
Morales had linked personalities like President Marcos and actress Maricel Soriano to alleged illegal drug use.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri also said that Morales has never shown any evidence that corroborates his series of unfounded accusations during the Senate hearings.
“While certain claims were made, documentary evidence is yet to be presented. There were no pictures, no corroborating testimonies. In other words, this was solely based on a testimony of one person based on what appears to be hearsay evidence,” Zubiri said.
“Kailangan ng ebidensya. Hindi pwedeng sabi-sabi lang at pinapaalala natin ang halaga na mapagkakatiwalaang resources. Walang tsismis, walang pulitika, katotohanan lang," the Senate leader said.
(Evidence is needed. Rumors won't do and we underscore the importance of trustworthy resources. No gossips, no politics, only the truth.)