Alabang Boys vs PDEA

[chua_riwap]

This case is getting interesting. Aabot pa ata sa House inquiry ang kaso.....


http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/me...ang-boys-bribe

Jan. 6, 2009
ABS-CBNNews.com

PDEA chief: Someone from DOJ took bribe offer from 'Alabang Boys'


The chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement (PDEA) said Tuesday that he is sure someone from the Department of Justice received bribe money in exchange of the dismissal of the drug case against the so-called “Alabang Boys.”

"We have to look at the paper trail, starting from the fiscal, then we work our way up. I'm not at liberty to tell you right now, but at the proper time, we will tell you what we know," PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago told ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda."

Santiago said he is sure someone received a huge amount of money that led to the DOJ’s dismissal of the drug cases filed by PDEA against Richard Santos Brodett, Jorge Jordana Joseph and Joseph Ramirez Tecson.

The three rich kids were nabbed by PDEA agents in separate drug buy-bust operations in Ayala Alabang and Araneta Center in Quezon City on September 20.

Santiago said in a recent Umagang Kay Ganda interview that the Brodett kid had verbally admitted to his father, while in the presence of PDEA agents, that the drugs found in his possession was his.

The PDEA chief said Brodett also pointed to the police the drugs in his car, which were used by the agency as evidence in the drug case.

The items seized from the three boys include 60 ecstasy tablets, small bags of marijuana, and sachets of cocaine.

The case was dismissed early this month by the DOJ due to lack of evidence.

Santiago said that before the case dismissal, PDEA’s public information office received a text message from one of the suspects’ family.

“The message said, coming from one of the [suspects’] family. ‘Ano pa ba ang problema ng General Santiago na ‘yan eh nabayaran na siya,’” the PDEA chief said.

Santiago, who denied receiving any amount from the suspects’ family, said the message was a “clear” sign that someone out of PDEA received bribe money.

The PDEA chief said that field agents also got bribe offers through text messages. He said some messages mentioned clearly the amount of money being offered for bribe.

Santiago also revealed that in one of the messages sent to PDEA, one of the suspects’ families were very sure that the ‘Alabang Boys’ will be released before Christmas.

"There are many different messages which reach the operating unit, even the legal department. There are also threats, but some are very clear: they're confident that they (Alabang Boys) will be out by December, before Christmas," he said.

Not the first time

Santiago asked the DOJ leadership to conduct deeper investigation to identify its erring prosecutors who may be receiving bribes in exchange of the dismissal of several drug cases.

He said the Alabang Boys’ case is only one of the sensational drug cases that have been dubiously dismissed by DOJ prosecutors.

Santiago cited for example the case of an internationally wanted drug personality, Cai Qing Hai alias Bruce Esteban Ong.

On Oct. 30, 2007, PDEA operatives and Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force raided a drug laboratory in Pagsawitan, Sta. Cruz, Laguna, and arrested Cai and three other Chinese nationals.

Authorities highlighted the arrest of Cai Qing Hai, who was wanted in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand for his international drug connections.

However, the charges against the four Chinese nationals were dropped a few months after the arrest.

Aside from the three being caught inside the raided shabu laboratory, Santiago said they have collected strong evidence against the Cai and his group, but the case was still dismissed by DOJ citing “insufficiency of evidence.”

“Cai Qing Hai was arrested [in the Philippines], but the case was dismissed. He’s an international target,” Santiago said.

He said the government will not be able to solve the drug menace in the country if the justice system does not get rid of erring prosecutors and court personnel.

“We should have conscience. People involved in this kind of cases (Alabang Boys) don’t have conscience,” he added.

[XTO]

again mga mayayamang pamilya sangkot bilib ako dun sa major (Ferdinand Marcelino) head ng Special Enforcement Service na naka sakote nung buy bust operation, hanggang kanina sa unang hirit sinabi totoo na meron ngang suhulan.

O.T. si Joey Marquez, ayun absuelto rin sa kaso niya na "textbooks scam" kanina sa news hehehe ang galing talaga ng hustisya dito sa 'tin :phone:


PDEA ready to tell all

Senate set to probe ‘Alabang 3’
By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:13:00 12/31/2008

Filed Under: PDEA-DOJ bribery issue, Government offices & agencies, Illegal drugs, Graft & Corruption, Crime and Law and Justice

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is prepared to present before the Senate proof of bribe offers for the release of three rich young men held for drug peddling, the agency chief told the Philippine Daily Inquirer Wednesday.

“We will just tell them what transpired, show them text messages we received about the bribes ... texts to officers who got direct offers,” PDEA Director General Dionisio Santiago said when reached by phone Wednesday.

The Senate has expressed interest in investigating the alleged P50-million bribe for the justice department’s dismissal of charges against the so-called “Alabang Boys”—Richard Santos Brodett, Jorge Jordana Joseph and Joseph Ramirez Tecson.

Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan has agreed to lead a Senate probe of the alleged bribe.

Major Marcelino

Santiago said the PDEA would present Major Ferdinand Marcelino, head of the agency’s Special Enforcement Service that led the Sept. 20 operations in Araneta Center in Quezon City and Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Some 60 tablets of Ecstasy, packs of marijuana, and several sachets of cocaine were found when the three suspects were arrested in buy-bust operations four hours apart three months ago.

Since their arrest, the young men have been detained at the 50-square-meter custodial center of PDEA’s Metro Manila Regional Office in Quezon City, getting daily visits from relatives, custodians and officials earlier told the Inquirer.

Bribe tries

Marcelino, whom Santiago described as an “incorruptible” operative, earlier disclosed three bribe tries for the trio’s release. The combat-tested former Marine officer said offers of P3 million to P20 million were made to him by parties related to the suspects.

Santiago said the PDEA was storing text messages, including one that especially piqued him, that “reliable sources” had sent the agency about the bribe offers.

“There was a message about me having received part of the money. The one who sent it was very definite that I received cash. The only question is where the money went. It means that there was an exchange of cash,” said Santiago, who has denied receiving a cent from the alleged bribe money.

“We’re very confident about this because the text messages are coming,” he said.

Zuño denial

The PDEA last week said that it received information about the P50-million bribe to state prosecutors that resulted in the dismissal of the case against the suspects.

Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño has denied that he and the prosecutors who investigated and reviewed the case had been bribed into recommending the dismissal of charges.

The PDEA said the Department of Justice dismissed drug charges against the suspects on Dec. 2 for “lack of probable cause,” a decision the agency decried citing solid evidence gathered during the buy-bust. The Dec. 2 resolution, with findings by state prosecutors Philip Quimpo and Misael Ladaga, was approved by Zuño.

Up for review

The case will be up for review after the holidays on orders of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, the agency said.

Santiago also maintained PDEA’s obligation to hold the suspects despite the recommendation to dismiss the case, citing a DoJ memorandum keeping drug suspects under the agency’s custody until the final resolution of the charges.

Under the DoJ Memorandum Circular No. 46, the PDEA may commit detainees to city jails when their cases are elevated to a court for trial.

Santiago said the memorandum was clear that the suspects could not be transferred until the resolution on the case became final and executory, which means that it has been signed by the justice secretary.

“The reason we are still holding [the suspects] is because of the memorandum,” he said.

Santiago expressed the hope that the Senate probe would lead to the review of the country’s anti-drug law in order to strengthen coordination between the PDEA and the DoJ.

[oliver1013]

Hindi ako nagulat sa DOJ na tumatanggap ng bribe standard na yan sa lahat ng sangay ng gobyerno natin

Ang kinagulat ko yung mga taga PDEA eh lumalaban Ala Kevin Costner sa Untouchables ang pumasok sa isip ko Ang galing meron pa palang ganun!! May pag asa pa kahit papaano ang Pilipinas

[artpogi]

AFAIK and someone correct me if I'm wrong, si Major Marcelino is technically "not" a police officer, he's mother unit is the Philippine Marines, he's an active officer of the Philippine Marines and is a loaner to PDEA from the Marines.

[Altis6453]

AFAIK and someone correct me if I'm wrong, si Major Marcelino is technically "not" a police officer, he's mother unit is the Philippine Marines, he's an active officer of the Philippine Marines and is a loaner to PDEA from the Marines.

Not to diss Maj. Marcelino. But military men are poorly equipped as law-enforcers and evidence gatherers.

I won't be surprised if the reason for the dismissal of the case is due to insufficiency of evidence brought about by an illegal search or seizure of evidence of the suspects' effects.

[ab_initio]

^^mahirap din pala maging mayaman... especially when your freedom is at stake.

let's just give the pdea boys our support and prayers. di pa naman final ang dismissal. baka gagawa ng isang magandang bagay si tito Raul. sorry na lang sa nagbigay ng bribe, di niyo pinaabot sa terminal ang pera... naku! it's gonna be most painful pag na reverse...tsk! then the case finds its way to the drugs court...tsk! sayang kung totoo ngang 50 M? hirap niyan collect ulit--pinagpasapasahan na e...

kaya sa mga bribe givers, wag dumaan sa middleman...wag kayo magpapaniwala.

to the pdea boys, polish your evidence some more while nasa prosecutor's level pa kayo.

O.T.>>>akala ko ang alabang boys counterpart ng alabang girls...drug lord pala? diba sila yung mga ingleserang sosyal? what happened? tsk, reminds me of DL's thread. wehehehe.

[Zeus]

Sabi nga ni Tulfo, kapag PNP at hindi si Marcelino ang nandun, siguro tinanggap na ang suhol

[CVT]

Sabi nga ni Tulfo, kapag PNP at hindi si Marcelino(PMA?) ang nandun, siguro tinanggap na ang suhol

Speaks well about the 'breeding'.....

7202:bruce_lee:

[Autobeat]

Ang kinagulat ko yung mga taga PDEA eh lumalaban Ala Kevin Costner sa Untouchables ang pumasok sa isip ko Ang galing meron pa palang ganun!! May pag asa pa kahit papaano ang Pilipinas

Yup, if this is true, I praise these people as well. I hope ma-improve lang nila standards nila of proper arrest and evidence gathering procedures, para hindi sila matalo sa kaso dahil lang sa mga technicalities.

[uls]

they couldnt bribe the PDEA people so they went to the DOJ to bribe someone there para ma-dismiss yung case

it's like "hey, there's someone higher than you"