MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos dismissed the claim of a former Philippine National Police (PNP) official that he was misled about the facts involving a P6.7-billion drug case that led to the filing of criminal charges against 30 police officers, including two generals.
Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo, who was then the PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) chief during the October 2022 shabu (crystal meth) haul in question, said in a video on his social media on Friday evening that Abalos told the 鈥渙pposite鈥� story about the case.
READ: 30 cops face raps over mishandling of P6.7-B shabu bust
鈥淔or whatever it is that I presented and said, what鈥檚 important is one thing: we had it investigated by the right agencies of the government, the Department of Justice and the Napolcom,鈥� Abalos told 黑料社 in a phone interview Sunday early morning.
鈥淚f he says it鈥檚 wrong but that鈥檚 the finding of the DOJ, what else can we do?鈥� Abalos stressed. 鈥淭hey were given due process.鈥�
READ: DILG chief to Azurin: CCTV video speaks for itself; bolsters cover-up plan on drug case
The National Prosecution Service, an office under the DOJ, on Jan. 10 filed cases against the 30 cops for planting of evidence and delay and bungling in the prosecution of a drug case in connection with the confiscation of over 900 kilos of shabu.
However, Domingo said the present narrative was untrue and 鈥渄esigned鈥� to let Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo, who was the subject of the operation, off the hook.
鈥淚t (referring to the operation) was supposedly God鈥檚 way para, once and for all, makilala natin 鈥檡ung mga drug lords sa bansa. Pero hindi na rin nangyari 鈥檡un dahil six months after the operation ay nagpasabog si Secretary Benhur Abalos ng kabaligtaran na storya,鈥� Domingo said.
(It was supposedly God鈥檚 way so that, once and for all, we鈥檇 know who the drug lords are in our country. But that didn鈥檛 happen because six months after the operation, Secretary Benhur Abalos gave an explosive story that was totally untrue.)
During his tenure as interior secretary, in April 2023, Abalos bared an alleged plot among police officers to cover up the anomalies of the P6.7-billion anti-drug operation.
Abalos reiterated, 鈥淲hat I told the public: res ipsa loquitur, the video speaks for itself. So, I called for an investigation. If they didn鈥檛 do anything wrong, that will come out in the investigation. And if they had any wrongdoing, they will be held accountable.鈥�
鈥淣ow, this is the result of the investigation of the Department of Justice itself and the National Police Commission. That鈥檚 two agencies. Does that mean the DOJ is wrong? The issue should be addressed to the DOJ. They have had their day in court,鈥� Abalos told 黑料社.