A Pampanga court has convicted a controversial former agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) of perjury, sentencing him to four months imprisonment and to pay a fine of P1,000.
In a decision promulgated on July 31 but made known only on Wednesday, the Municipal Trial Court Branch 4 of San Fernando, Pampanga, found former PDEA agent Jonathan Morales guilty of perjury for lying twice while under oath during a hearing for a drug case in 2011.
Morales had told the San Fernando City Regional Trial Court Branch (RTC) 43 that Chinese nationals Albert Co Chua and Wen Chen Miao were liable for drug trafficking.
READ: Ex-PDEA agent Morales sentenced to 4 months in jail for perjury
The trial revolved around the buy-bust operation on May 3, 2010, in San Fernando, which linked Chua and Miao to selling, delivering and transporting drugs.
鈥淏ut during his cross-examination on Nov. 7, 2012, Morales recanted his previous testimonies and alleged that the buy-bust operation was not legitimate,鈥� the court said.
鈥淗e further testified that Chua and Miao were victims of planting of evidence orchestrated by Director Lyndon Aspacio, his superior. On Nov. 6, 2015, RTC Branch 43 issued a resolution acquitting accused Chua and Miao,鈥� the court said.
鈥楴ot convinced鈥�
鈥淎fter the testimony of the sole witness, the prosecution offered its evidence and rested its case. The defense wants to impress upon this court, however, that these were not given willfully and deliberately, as accused was merely coerced to state these falsehoods by Director Aspacio. We are not convinced,鈥� it added.
鈥淎dditionally, the fear of being transferred to 鈥榙angerous assignments鈥� such as in Basilan, Sulu [and] Tawi-Tawi is rather speculative, if not discriminatory and unwarranted,鈥� it said.
In May, Morales testified before the Senate on a PDEA report in 2012 that linked President Marcos and actress Maricel Soriano to illegal drugs.
But he was cited in contempt for misrepresentation after it was noted that when he applied for entry into PDEA, he omitted in his personal data sheet the fact that he was dishonorably dismissed from the Philippine National Police.