PUZZLER 听 Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos cited this security camera footage in questioning official reports about an October 2022 raid in Manila that led to the discovery of 990 kilos of crystal meth (鈥渟habu鈥�). The encircled figures are those of police officers whom he wanted investigated as he suspected a cover-up. 鈥擯hoto from DILG
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� A police officer from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) well-versed in anti-drug operations has claimed that he heard Philippine National Police officials discuss how to help Police Mst. Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo, the anti-narcotic operative arrested with 990 kilograms of shabu in October 2022.
Police Lt. Col. Glenn Gonzales told lawmakers from the House of Representatives鈥� committee on dangerous drugs on Wednesday that relieved Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) chief Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo, Calabarzon DEG Special Operations Unit (SOU) head Col. Julian Olonan, National Capital Region DEG officer-in-charge Lt. Col. Arnulfo Iba帽ez were part of the discussion
鈥淧agdating ko do鈥檔 sa WPD Lending sir, nakita ko po si sir Iba帽ez, sir Domingo, sir Olonan, nag-uusap po sir [鈥 and Major [Michael Angelo] Salmingo [鈥 鈥榶on nga po sir, tama po 鈥榶ong sinabi ni sir Iba帽ez, pinag-uusapan namin kung ano鈥檔g dapat gawin kay Sgt. Mayo,鈥� Gonzales said.
(Whe I arrived at the WPD Lending sir, I saw sir Iba帽ez, sir Domingo, sir Olonan, they were talking [鈥 and Major [Michael Angelo] Salmingo [鈥 that鈥檚 it sire, what sir Iba帽ez said is right, we were talking what to do with Sgt. Mayo.)
WPD Lending is the establishment in Tondo, Manila that was handled by Mayo.听 The 990 kilograms of shabu were found in the said office.
Gonzales said he hesitated to contest the decisions of the officials as they were his upperclassmen.听 He also said that he only found the courage to speak after then PNP Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Benjamin Santos Jr. arrived at the scene, and asked that Mayo be arrested already.
鈥淧ero 鈥榶ong succeeding kasi na nangyari sir, no鈥檔g pinakawalan si Mayo, do鈥檔 po ako nag-isip na bakit pinakawalan si Mayo, I thought na kakasuhan pa rin si Mayo 鈥� tama sir 鈥榶ong usapan namin sir na may follow-up operation sir, pero sir, hindi kasi ako makapag-comment sa kanila kasi mga senior ko nga po sila,鈥� Gonzales said.
(When Mayo was released, I was thinking why Mayo was freed, I thought Mayo will be charged. What we were talking about was right, there would be a follow-up operation, but I cannot comment because they are all upperclassmen.)
鈥淎ng sabi po nila sa akin hindi na nga po kakasuhan si Mayo.听 No鈥檔g dumating si General Santos po sir, do鈥檔 po tumapang 鈥榶ong loob ko na sabihin kay sir Domingo na 鈥榮ir, pinapahuli na ni sir Santos si Sgt. Mayo, ilalabas na ba natin sir, ilalabas na ba natin 鈥榶ong sasakyan?鈥櫶� Ang sabi niya sa akin sir 鈥榟indi na kailangan, alam na po ni chief PNP,鈥欌�� he added.
(They told me that Mayo will not be charged. When General Santos arrived, that was the time I had the courage to tell Domingo that General Santos wanted Sgt. Mayo arrested, are we going to bring this out, are we going to get the vehicle? He told me it was no longer needed, PNP chief knows it already.)
Mayo, himself an intelligence operative of PDEG, was arrested in a buy-bust operation last October 8.听 The operation has been shrouded in controversy ever since, as rumors of an alleged cover-up have been raised by key officials including Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.
Instead of being arrested, Mayo was seen without handcuffs 鈥� as shown in closed circuit television camera footage obtained shared during the House hearing and previous press conferences.
鈥淧ersonally sir, siyempre nagulat ako, I thought na nag-start na 鈥榶ong inventory kasi na-inform ako 2 p.m. pa lang eh, dumating ako do鈥檔 4:30 na [鈥 sinuggest ko sa kanila sir na kung pwede, kung tutulungan natin si Mayo 鈥� kasi pinag-uusapan nila sir kung ire-release si Mayo or kung ike-case filed 鈥榶ong kaso ni Mayo 鈥� 鈥榶on nga po 鈥榶ong intensyon ni sir Iba帽ez,鈥� Gonzales claimed.
(Personally, I was shocked, I thought the inventory has started because I was informed as early as 2 p.m., I arrived there at 4:30, I suggested to them if possible, if we are going to help Mayo, because they were talking if they are going to release Mayo or a case will be filed, that was the intention of sir Iba帽ez.)
According to Gonzales, it was Iba帽ez who asked him to go to the scene of the operation, out of fear that the latter鈥檚 name might be dragged into Mayo鈥檚 activities.
鈥淚 was informed around 2:00 p.m., Lt. (Ashrap) Amerol called me [鈥 he told me 鈥榮ir na may nahuling tao nga po [someone was arrested], two kilos sir pero member po siya ng SOU-NCR sir.鈥� 听Do鈥檔 ko po nalaman na may nahuli [that was the time I learned someone was arrested], then I called sir Iba帽ez what happened, classmate ko kasi sir Iba帽ez sa ongoing training namin [Iba帽ez was my classmate in an ongoing training], I asked him, sir 鈥榶ong tao mo yata may trabaho ba kayo, nahuli sir ng tropa [looks like your man, do you have an operation? Looks like he got arrested],鈥� Gonzales said.
鈥淭hen sir Iba帽ez told me to call sir Olonan so that they could talk, 鈥榶on nga po, sir Olonan also informed me that malaki nga 鈥榶ong nahuli [鈥 Then around 4:00 p.m. I was called by sir Iba帽ez, he asked me na kung pwede pumunta ako doon sa lugar, sabi niya sa akin, 鈥楪lenn, hindi ko alam kung ano鈥檔g nangyari, baka madamay ako dito. Baka pwede pag-usapan natin ito,鈥� he added.
Olonan however denied that he, Iba帽ez, and Domingo were talking about freeing Mayo.听 The Calabarzon DEG chief said that it was actually Gonzales who pleaded to him to let Mayo go, as the reputation of the PNP and PDEG would be affected.
In response, Olonan claimed he told Gonzales the gravity of the offense, and ended the call.
鈥淵our Honor, I do not know the intention of Lt. Col. Gonzales to pin down General Domingo.听 Ang totoo po niyan [To tell you the truth] your Honor, on my record, 2 p.m. nasa Skyway ako, I鈥檓 traveling 鈥� I received a call from Lt. Col. Gonzales sabi niya 鈥榮ir, nag-usap na ba kayo ni sir Iba帽ez tungkol kay Mayo?听 Pagbigyan mo na sir, masisira na naman ang PNP at PDEG [he told me if Iba帽ez and I talked about Mayo? Give them a break, the reputation of the PNP and PDEG will be ruined],鈥欌�� Olonan said.
鈥淎t sinagot ko siya: 鈥楢lam mo ba Glenn kung gaano karaming shabu ang nakuha?鈥櫶� And he replied: 鈥榊es sir alam ko trabaho namin 鈥榶on.鈥� At binabaan ko siya ng telepono And I told him: You know, Glenn, how much shabu had been confiscated? And he replied: Yes sir I know, it was our operation. And that was the time I hang up the phone on him],鈥� he added.
Olonan also asserted that it was Gonzales who called him 鈥� and not the other way around.听 He also said that the discussions were only about the follow up operation that they were planning to do in Pasig City.
鈥淧agbaba ko ng [when I exited] Skyway, again your Honor, 3:07 p.m., then I am near New Manila, I received another call from Lt. Col. Gonzales, he asked me again the same thing [鈥 Oo sabi ko, may binibigay na trabaho, pupunta raw siya sa Tondo, malaking trabaho daw.听 Kanina napakinggan ko kasi ako raw ang tumawag sa kanya.听 It鈥檚 not true your Honor, at hindi kami dumating sa usapan na pagbibigyan si Mayo your Honor 鈥� ang pinag-uusapan lang namin doon, follow-up operations [I said yes there鈥檚 an operation, he will go in Tondo, it was like a big operation. Earlier I heard that I was the one who called him. That鈥檚 not true your honor, and it never came to a point that Mayo will be off the hooks, what we are talking about was the follow-up operation],鈥� he noted.
The House is conducting the hearing to determine what transpired during the operation hatched last October 鈥� in what was believed to be the biggest drug haul that the PNP has undertaken.
Controversies, however, quickly surrounded the case after Mayo 鈥� a PDEG intelligence operative himself 鈥� appeared to have been cited for past operations.
READ: PNP seizes P6.7 billion worth of shabu; Abalos says it鈥檚 鈥榖iggest drug haul to date鈥櫶�
Abalos last April 10 said that there was a massive attempt to cover-up the arrest of Mayo, with high-ranking officials being present during the arrest, supposedly discussing the fate of the arrested cop.
Domingo, however, assured that there was no cover-up, noting that they were only talking about the next operation where Mayo can be used to pinpoint other individuals involved in the drug trade.
After which, Domingo was relieved from his post, and was included in the 49 PNP officials and officers charged over the incident.
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