THE Department of Justice has sought the transfer of detained Marine Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino and his co-accused from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Taguig City to the detention centers of the National Bureau of Investigation or the Philippine Navy.
The DoJ made the appeal as Marcelino asked the Quezon City Regional Trial Court hearing his case to grant him bail because the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency had a weak case in charging him with drug trafficking.
Marcelino also claimed that the bank statements the PDEA claimed would prove Marcelino’s guilt were actually operation funds Marcelino received when he was still with the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
In a three-page letter to the BJMP, dated Jan. 29, Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Theodore Villanueva proposed the transfer of Marcelino to the NBI or the PN due to the threats against the respondent’s life.
“As publicly known, Lt. Col. Marcelino has caused the detention of many people involved in illegal drugs, some of whom are currently being detained at Camp Bagong Diwa,” Villanueva said in his letter.
Villanueva cited the testimonies of both Marcelino’s counsel, lawyer Dennis Manalo and Philippine Navy Vice Admiral Caesar Taccad, who both expressed concern for the safety and security of the arrested ex-PDEA official.
According to Manalo, Marcelino, a former officer of the PDEA and an incumbent military officer conducting intelligence operations against drug syndicates, is now “more fearful of his personal safety and security on account of the deep seated anger of prisoners in the QC-BJMP annex who have been arrested by respondent arising in the performance of his duty.”
Taccad, on the other hand, said Marcelino’s safety and protection will be better secured if he is detained in the PN detention facility.
However, Taccad clarified that they do not tolerate the supposed misdeeds of Marcelino, if they are proven to be true.
“We are one with the government in bringing to the bar of justice our personnel who are involved in criminal activities. We will also be conducting parallel investigation on the said incident to determine LTC Marcelino’s liability under the Articles of War,” Taccad’s letter stated.
“Nevertheless, we would also like to ensure his safety while under detention. As the former Director of the Special Enforcement Division, PDEA, he has neutralized drug syndicates, cleansed attached uniformed personnel in the same agency, and caused the imprisonment of well-known personalities involved in drug-related cases,” Taccad said.
Marcelino, together with Yan Yi Shuo are facing a complaint for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act particularly for manufacture, conspiracy to manufacture and possession of illegal drugs.
They were arrested last Jan. 21 following a drug bust at No. 15, Block 17, Lot 6 Mahogany Street, Celadon Residences, Felix Huertas Road, Barangay 350 Zone 35 in Manila. Authorities confiscated 76,697.7 grams of shabu worth over P380-million.
Last week, Marcelino insisted on his innocence, saying the professional animosity between him and his former PDEA boss, director general Arturo Cacdac Jr., was the root cause of his detention.
In the eight-page response to the charges, Marcelino said Cacdac had always been “historically irated” at him for his continued involvement in the anti-drug campaign.
Marcelino also believed that his former boss took offense of his criticism that 95 percent of the Philippines remains infested with illegal drugs despite the increased budget of the PDEA.
Also on Monday, Marcelino’s camp disputed the claim of the police AntiIllegal Druds Group that bank statements showed that Marcelino profited from the illegal drug trade.
“[Marcelino] categorically denies the insinuations by the Philippine National Police-AIDG that he is profiting from illegal drugs trade,” said Marcelino’s spokesman Vonne Villanueva.
“The bank receipts and AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) passbooks were kept as part of his personal financial records and his confidential operational fund records when he was still with ISAFP (Intelligence Service of the AFP),” Villanueva said.
“I would not discuss the details in public due to its sensitive nature and the fact that they have not filed another case against him related to these bank deposits,” Villanueva added.
“Lt. Col. Marcelino is willing to sign a waiver for AMLC for the sake of transparency and in compliance with the law praying that his accusers will do the same,” he said.