THE SENATE Blue Ribbon committee has recommended further probe by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman on personalities involved in the shipment of P11 billion worth of illegal drugs last June for possible administrative and criminal liabilities.
The committee did not mention any liability on the part of now Technical Education and Skill Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Isidro S. Lapeña, who was head of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) when the shipment of shabu (methamphetamine) was smuggled into the country.
The committee submitted on Dec. 13 its report, numbered 544, into its findings on the shipment that slipped past the BoC, and was released to reporters on Monday.
“So far, this report has reached and implicated public officers up to the Deputy Director General in PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) and Deputy Commissioner in the Bureau of Customs. This is not to say that those involved cannot go any higher,” it stated.
“We dread to think that it might; we fear for the country and for its citizens, and thus the need to investigate more in order to determine with certainty all the people responsible for these abhorrent acts,” it added.
The committee recommended the filing of charges for the following individuals: former police officer Eduardo Acierto, former PDEA deputy director general for administration Ismael G. Fajardo, former Customs officer Jimmy S. Guban, SMYD trading consignee Marina Signapan, Customs broker Katrina Grace Cuasay, Customs employees Joseph Dimayuga and Gorgonio Necessario, SMYD trading owner Meg Santos, x-ray examiner Noli Martinez, appraiser Girlie Umali, and examiner Jenaline Garcia.
Also included are Chinese nationals KC Chan, Hsu Chung-Chun, Zhang Quan, Lin Tien Yi, Lou Tian Yi, Chen Minxuan, a certain Fung, and Ping Cheung James.
The committee report noted that the personalities involved were in violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and direct bribery under the Revised Penal Code, among others.
Last Dec. 13, PDEA charged 44 people, including Messrs. Fajardo and Guban, in connection with the smuggling incident.
The Senate committee report noted that Mr. Acierto was the “linchpin” in the illegal drug smuggling based on the committee’s investigation. It cited that it was Mr. Acierto who gave the instructions to Mr. Guban in facilitating the release of the magnetic lifters.
“It stands to reason that Acierto, indeed, was the main man,” it stated.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
Among the committee’s recommendations was for the conduct of lifestyle checks and an investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for the personalities involved in the illegal drug smuggling.
The committee report also recommended amendments in the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) for shipments to be declared abandoned within a period of three days from the present 30 days.
It also urged the AMLC and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate the alleged use of fictitious names and fake Alien Certificates of Registration (ACR) in the opening of bank accounts and business registration for criminal acts.
It also called for the elimination of consignees for hire, the coordination between the BoC, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the registration and accreditation of consignees, the creation of of a Customs Academy, and diplomatic efforts by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) with neighboring countries to eradicate illegal drug smuggling.
The Senate investigation was prompted by the raids conducted by PDEA and BoC at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and at a warehouse in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite.
PDEA found magnetic lifters in MICP that contained illegal drugs inside, but similar lifters in Cavite were shown to have already been drilled and its contents, believed to be shabu, removed.
Aside from Mr. Gordon, Committee Report No. 544 was signed by 10 members and three ex-officio members.
The signatories were: Senators Juan Edgardo M. Angara, Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, Gregorio B. Honasan II, Panfilo M. Lacson, Loren B. Legarda, Emmanual D. Pacquiao, Cynthia A. Villar, Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Aquilino L. Pimentel III, Nancy S. Binay-Angeles, Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

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