Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (MANILA BULLETIN, PPAB)

The Duterte administration jailed nobody but "fall guys" during its bloody anti-illegal drug campaign while letting the true masterminds behind billion-peso drug smuggling operations remain scot-free.

Thus, said Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Tuesday, Jan. 21 during the continuation of the House quad-committee (quad-comm) hearings. Barbers is overall chairman of the mega-panel.

Tuesday was the 14th hearing of the quad-comm, which since August had been investigating the Duterte drug war, among other related issues. former president Rodrigo Duterte called the shots in Malacañang from 2016 to 2022.

Barbers lamented that innocent individuals have been imprisoned for up to 40 years while those truly responsible for the massive drug shipments continue to evade prosecution.

“Ang mga pagpuslit ng tone-toneladang droga na nagkakahalaga ng mahigit P12 bilyong piso, na ibinintang sa mga maliliit na tao ay isang kahina-hinalang hakbang upang pagtakpan ang mga tunay na may kinalaman,” Barbers said.

(The smuggling of tons of drugs amounting to P12 billion, which was subsequently pinned on small people, was a suspicious way of covering up for those who truly involved.)

He pointed to several individuals who were allegedly used as scapegoats in high-profile drug cases. These included businessman Mark Taguba, warehouse guard Fidel Anoche Dee, and former Bureau of Customs (BOC) employee Jimmy Guban, all of whom were convicted despite what Barbers believed were glaring gaps in evidence.

“Si Mark Taguba, isang batang negosyante, sumasalo lamang ng mga pinarating ng mga nag-angkat o importer ng mga bagay-bagay kasama na ang iligal na droga. Wala siyang alam sa laman ng containers,” Barbers noted.

(Mark Taguba, a young business, merely received the different items that importers sent his way, including illegal drugs. He had no knowledge about the contents of the containers.)

Barbers also highlighted the controversial case of Dee, a warehouse guard who unknowingly received shipments of drugs in what was supposedly a “controlled delivery” by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). 

“Ang bodegero ay kinasuhan at ngayon ay nagdurusa sa loob ng bilangguan (The warehouse worker has been charged and is suffering behind bars,” he said.

Barbers reaffirmed the quad-comm’s commitment to justice and accountability.

“If these people are necessary fall guys in order to cover up the truth, then we have committed a grave injustice which we are now compelled to rectify," said the Mindanaoan. 

The veteran lawmaker criticized the past administration’s failure to charge higher-level officials and influential individuals who may have had a hand in facilitating the entry of illegal drugs in country.

Barbers underscored the urgency of amending existing laws to prevent similar injustices in the future. He says legislative action is necessary to prevent further cases of wrongful convictions. 

“Sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatibay pa ng mga batas, maiwasan natin ang injustice (We can avoid injustices by strengthening our laws),” said the Nacionalista Party (NP) stalwart.

As the quad-comm continues its hearings, Barbers vowed to pursue the real masterminds behind these operations and rectify past mistakes. 

He called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other relevant agencies to re-examine the cases and bring the true perpetrators to justice.