Arroyo wants ‘Alabang Boys’ bribe try probed

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo has ordered anti-drug officials to unmask and charge the parties behind an alleged bribery try in a drug-related case involving scions of wealthy families. The President has also directed Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Vicente Sotto III to keep in custody the so-called Alabang Boys while the Department of Justice continues its investigation into the alleged P50-million bribe attempt. Sotto said President Arroyo issued the directive at a private meeting in San Fernando City in La Union province Tuesday. "I-charge ang mga nag-bribe. Identify-in at kasuhan ang mga nag-attempt mag-bribe. Yan isa sa main order niya kanina (She told us to identify and charge those behind the bribery try. That is one of the main orders she gave)," Sotto said an interview on dzRH radio. Sotto said those at the meeting included President Arroyo, himself, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Dionisio Santiago, and La Union bishop Artemio Rillera. Sotto said that after President Arroyo conferred with them, she called up justice secretary Raul Gonzalez to instruct him to investigate the bribery as well. "The President is determined to get to the bottom of this and we have agreed to adopt full transparency in all the investigations. This is the reason why we asked the Senate to conduct its own probe on the chronic conflict between the DOJ and the PDEA,'' he said. For his part, Gonzalez said he has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct an investigation not only on the prosecutors but also on PDEA. "Ang order ko sa NBI, hindi lang ang prosecutors kundi PDEA imbestigahan (My order to the NBI is to investigate not just the prosecutors but also the PDEA)," Gonzalez said in a separate interview on dzRH. The alleged bribery supposedly involved government prosecutors under the DOJ in exchange for the dismissal of a case against three wealthy drug suspects. Santiago said there was a P50-million offer to secure the release of Richard Santos Brodett, Jorge Jordana Joseph, and Joseph Ramirez Tecson from the custody of PDEA. The three were arrested last Sept. 20 in a series of operations in Alabang, Muntinlupa City and Cubao in Quezon City. On Sept. 21, the three suspects submitted themselves to the DOJ's preliminary investigation, but the case was dismissed following a resolution from the department's National Prosecution Service last Dec. 2. "The President ordered a thorough investigation," Sotto said. Also during the meeting, Sotto said Rillera told him about local residents' fears about another drug-related case, this time involving a shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) laboratory in Naguilian. He said President Arroyo ordered him to keep tabs on the case as well, especially after Rillera voiced fears that some politicians may be "interested" in the case. "Kung may allegation na involved na pulitiko, ang directive niya sa amin i-monitor mabuti at pakinggan ano sinasabi ni bishop at kababayan sa San Fernando (If there are allegations of politicians' involvement, her directive was to monitor the case)," he said. - GMANews.TV