FORMER police chief Rodolfo Azurin yesterday said he has told President Marcos Jr. that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has become the “drug lord” in the country because of the involvement of police officials in the stashing and recycling of 990 kilos of shabu that were seized at a money lending firm in Tondo, Manila last October 8.
“I told the President that here in the seizure of 990 kilos of shabu, the PNP has become the drug lord,” Azurin told lawmakers during the continuation of the hearing of the House committee on dangerous drugs chaired by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers.
Azurin, who denied involvement in the alleged cover-up attempt to protect M/Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr. who took the fall for the shabu seizure, said an estimated 100 to 200 “scalawags” in the police force “are dipping their fingers in illegal drug trade either as protector, accomplice or supplier, themselves.”
The former PNP chief, who echoed former president Rodrigo Duterte’s warning that the country might turn eventually into a “narco-state” if the PNP will not be able to get rid of members who have joined the illegal drugs trade, said he had nothing to gain from protecting Mayo because he had already reached the “pinnacle” of his career as a law enforcer when the incident happened.
During the hearing, Azurin and some of his former subordinates traded accusations on who was really out to protect Mayo, who was initially freed after he was arrested on October 8.
Mayo was a subordinate of Lt. Col. Arnulfo Ibañez, the OIC of PDEG Special Operations Unit (SOU) National Capital Region (NCR), who was the one earlier accused by now relieved PDEG chief Narciso Domingo as the one who suggested that Mayo be freed.
FINGER-POINTING
As expected, no one admitted to being the one who broached the scheme to “free” Mayo by using him in a follow-up drug sting operation in Pasig City, where a bigger amount of shabu was purportedly stashed.
Azurin pointed accusing fingers at Col. Glenn Gonzales of the Quezon City Police District, saying he was obviously the one calling the shots and ordering his former subordinates Capt. Jonathan Sosongco, a team leader of the PDEG-SOU, Senior Master Sgt. Jerrywin Rebosora, Senior Master Sgt. Marian Mananghaya, and Senior Master Sergeant Lorenzo Catarata even if he was not part of the PDEG.
“Ang nagpapaikot po niyan si Lt. Col. Glenn Gonzales (The one calling the shots was Lt. Col. Glenn Gonzales),” he said. “He’s no longer part of PDEG but it seems that he is controlling eveything.”
Azurin said Gonzales talked to Col. Julian Olonan, chief of PDEG-SOU Region 4A, to convince him to let Mayo go, tried to convince Domingo about the monetary reward for his former subordinates who seized the huge stash, and was in contact with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Barbers earlier named Rebosora and Catarata as the ones captured in a CCTV footage loading into a white car two black bags containing shabu which was part of the 99 kilos.
The panel chair has said that at first, reports said the bags only contained 30 kilos of shabu purportedly to be paid out to the PNP-DEG SOU 4a “assets” but it turned out the bags contained 42 kilos during an inventory “and if they succeeded to cover it up, Rebosura and Catarata would have a ‘savings’ of 12 kilos of shabu.”
“Gonzales has explaining to do why he’s into ops of PDEG even not if he’s not part of PDEG,” Azurin said. “I don’t think the pilferage will be done by Rebosora and Catarata without an instruction from anybody.”
Gonzales, who earlier said he went to the scene after Ibañez, his friend and classmate, sought his help, said he kept his mouth shut when the other officials were discussing the idea of letting Mayo go scot-free.
Short of accusing Azurin, he reiterated that Domingo told him that Mayo will no longer be charged “and the PNP chief already knows,” a statement which did not sit well with Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, a senior vice chair of the panel and a former police official himself who said: “Pero kasama ka sa grupo e (But you were part of that group), you were playing an active part when in fact, andun ka sa Quezon City Police District (you are with the QC Police District).”
A visually infuriated Domingo denied Gonzales’ claim: “Wala pong usapan na ganyan, gawa-gawa lang (ni) Col. Gonzales ‘yan (It was nothing like that. Col. Gonzales is just making it up.”
Ibañez also denied that he and the other officials even discussed freeing Mayo while Olonan said the only thing that was discussed was the strategy and planning for follow-up operation in Pasig where Mayo was used.
The Pasig operation turned out to be negative and only led to the serving of a warrant of arrest against one Juden Francisco as no shabu was seized.
“Iba-iba and sagot niyo, lumalabas na apat iba-iba. Kahit High School graduate ‘di maniniwala sa inyo e (Your answers don’t match. It appears that there are four different versions. Even a High School graduate won’t believe you,” said Acop.
