Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, former Criminal Investigation and Detention Group (CIDG) director, has identified 13 police officers who allegedly recycled illegal drugs.
He told senators who attended the hearing held by the Senate’s Blue Ribbon and Justice Committees that the policemen, all members of the Pampanga Provincial Police Office, were involved in the “Agaw-Bato,” a drug-recycling scheme in 2013 and 2014.
According to Magalong, the 13 were members of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operation Task Force.
He cited a buy-bust operation on Nov 29, 2013 in Woodbridge Subdivision, Lakeshore View, Pampanga conducted by the group, which was led by Supt. Rodney Raymundo Baloyo 4th.
The other police officers who joined the drug operation were identified as Senior Inspector Joven de Guzman; Senior Police Officers 1 Jules Maniago, Donald Roque, Ronald Santos, Rommel Vital, Alcindor Tinio and Eligio Valeroso; Police Officers (PO) 3 Dindo Dizon, Gilbert De Vera, Romeo Guerrero Jr. and Dante Dizon; and PO2 Anthony Lacsamana.
Witnesses said the raiding team declared that 38 kilograms of shabu were seized during the operation.
Based on an official police report, the group arrested a high-profile drug trafficker — Johnson Lee, a Chinese. But Magalong said the buy-bust team presented another suspect, Ding Winkun.
He said they found out that Lee paid P50mn for his freedom.
The CIDG, however, said some 200 kilograms of shabu were seized in the raid, not 38 kilograms as reported.
The missing 162 kilogrammes were estimated to be worth P648mn in 2014.
Magalong said criminal charges were filed against the 13 police officers, but he does not know what happened to the cases.
He added that in November 2014, then-Region 3 Director Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta ordered the dismissal of the 13 for grave misconduct. But the order was not implemented.
Petrasanta also relieved then-Senior Supt. Oscar Albayalde for command responsibility. Albayalde was the Pampanga provincial director at the time.
In 2017, Region 3 Police chief Amador Corpuz signed an order demoting the 13 by one rank.
Magalong said the CIDG, on instruction of then-Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Allan Purisima, conducted an investigation in 2013 on the police officers involved.
“He (Purisima) received several intelligence reports that police officers of Pampanga have new SUVs. He told me, ‘Benjie, investigate this. Just recently there was an operation in Pampanga where about 30 kilos of shabu were seized. All of a sudden everybody was able to acquire SUVs,’” he said.
Magalong accused Albayalde of intervening in the case of his former men.
Albayalde protested against the insinuations raised against him.
He told senators that while he supports the legislative investigation, he was equally compelled to ensure that the police force did not become the object of innuendos.
“I admit that there are a number of policemen who are reportedly abusive, corrupt or involved in illegal drugs, but for the last 17 months since I became chief, I have strived to lead the 190,000 policemen to uphold the positive image of the Philippine National Police, sustaining the internal cleansing programme initiated by my predecessor,” Albayalde said.
He expressed hope that Magalong’s statements would not affect the president’s confidence in him.
“Let the president decide. I am expendable. I’m a government employee, public servant. I think are all expendable,” he told reporters.
He added that he hopes the issue would not affect the government’s war on drugs.
“It will not affect (drug war). We do what is right and we do our job,” Albayalde said.
Albayalde said Magalong should have done everything in his power to dismiss those rogue cops.
“He was the chief of the CIDG and later became the director for investigation. He had all the chance, the time, the power and the authority to monitor and supervise the case,” he added.
As to Magalong’s statement that he “intervened,” the PNP chief said he merely asked Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino, then the Central Luzon police chief, about the status of the case of his former men.
Meanwhile, senators led by Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd said there was a grand cover-up in the Pampanga drug raid.
Richard Gordon, head of the Blue Ribbon panel, said Lee’s vehicles that were seized are now missing.
The Land Transportation Office confirmed that one of Lee’s vehicles, a 2013 model Toyota Fortuner, was sold three times in one day.
A buyer, Amy Gopez, testified that she bought the car for
P1.2mn from a car sales shop in 2015.
“If we get Lee and Ding Winkun, we have a case,” Gordon said.
Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said President Rodrigo Duterte might ask the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to get to the bottom of the ninja cop issue.
“At the conclusion of this hearing, the president might ask the DILG to investigate and get to the bottom of this,” Go said in a statement.
“The truth must come out,” he declared.
Despite the controversy, Go said the PNP remains committed in reforming itself.
“In fairness to the PNP, it is continuing its internal cleansing programme. This happened in the past administration, not during the term of President Duterte. And I have witnessed that President Duterte is serious in what he is doing,” the senator added.
”The president fully trusts the police force. The war against illegal drugs and criminality will not succeed without the help of the policemen,” Go said.
Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde looks at former CIDG chief Benjamin Magalong as he testifies before the Senate’s blue ribbon committee which is investigating the recycling of seized illegal drugs.
