Arroyo urged to bust 26 drug syndicates

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who named herself anti-drug czar on Tuesday, should focus on busting the reportedly 26 remaining big drug syndicates in the country, a lawmaker said on Wednesday. Only six out of the 32 big drug syndicates in the country have been busted by anti-narcotics operatives, Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco said at a meeting of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs. That figure is based on the list of big drug syndicates submitted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). "We have a new [anti] drug czar. I think it's about time the new [anti] drug czar take hold of busting the 26 remaining drug syndicates," Cuenco said. "I hope the new [anti] drug czar, will really crack down, will really bust open all these drug syndicates. These drug rings should be busted right here and now." President Arroyo named herself anti-drug czar amid the "Alabang Boys" controversy, wherein the rich families of young drug suspects Richard Brodett, Jorge Jordana Joseph, and Joseph Tecson allegedly bribed Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors P50 million for their release. Name the 'mistah' Lawmakers at the hearing also agreed to urge the PDEA Special Enforcement Services head, Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino, to reveal the identity of his "mistah" (term for classmate at the Philippine Military Academy) who allegedly acted as emissary for the Tecsons. Senior Deputy Minority Leader Roilo Golez said Marcelino should "fill the gap" in his testimony on the alleged bribery attempt and reveal the identity of his PMA classmate. The mistah allegedly served as the Tecsons' emissary when Marcelino refused to take a P3 million bribe offered to him by Jo Tecson so he would not file charges against the suspects. "He [Marcelino] has to eventually, at the end of the day, grapple with this gap in his revelation, this classmate of his that made the proposal. I think I would like to suggest that this committee to urge Major Marcelino to make that revelation... not anymore in an executive session, to complete his testimony," Golez said. Marcelino had earlier revealed the identity of his PMA classmate in an executive session with the House panel's members. Golez said Marcelino should make his revelation to the Office of the Ombudsman, which is conducting an investigation into the case. Golez said it would be "understandable" if Marcelino chooses not to disclose his classmate's identity to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which is conducting a similar inquiry, because the NBI is an attached agency of the DOJ. Golez's suggestion was backed up by Cuenco and Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino, who said Marcelino should explain why he did not try to entrap his classmate when he said he had wanted to entrap Jo Tecson who allegedly made the initial bribe offer. "He [Marcelino] mentioned that in the first bribery attempt wherein he was called by cell phone he was ready to entrap that briber. However, he did not entrap the briber because the other person failed to call him the second time. People are wondering why in the second case, when it was his mistah, he did not bother to entrap," Antonino said. Antonino is the chair of the Committee on Public Order and Safety, which, along with the Committees on Dangerous Drugs and Justice, will conduct a joint investigation on dismissed drug cases on the country pending the dangerous drugs' panel review of those cases. Recommendations Aside from agreeing to urge Marcelino to disclose the identity of his "mistah," the committee, through its chair Ilocos Norte Rep. Roque Ablan Jr., agreed to co-sponsor the bill Cuenco will file. The measure seeks to raise the penalties for erring prosecutors. Cuenco wants provisions in the Revised Penal Code, such as Article 204 and 205, amended to lengthen imprisonment for unjust and negligent judges. The lawmakers also said they would recommend the inclusion of former senior state prosecutor Archimedes Manabat in the independent body that will conduct an inquiry into the "Alabang Boys" mess. According to the records sent by the DOJ to the House panel, half of the department's 24 drug case convictions since 1998 were handled by Manabat, whom Ablan said is currently the city prosecutor in Taguig. - GMANews.TV