President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday has called for the arrest of former Bureau of Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban for his alleged involvement in smuggling shabu into the country.
“Tell me who is this guy asking for money, extortion. I will call him here. I’ll have him arrested. That’s why I’m ordering the arrest of that Guban,” he said in his speech during the conferment of Philippine Quality Awards on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña on Wednesday acknowledged the possibility that the four magnetic lifters found in a warehouse in Cavite could have contained shabu, after denying this for several weeks.
READ: Shabu in ‘lifters’ contained P11 billion and not P6.8 billion, PDEA chief claims
Lapeña made the statement as the joint House committees on dangerous drugs and good government and public accountability resumed their probe into the suspected smuggling in of P6.8 billion worth of shabu.
The joint panel was headed by Reps. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte and Xavier Jesus of Camiguin, respectively.
“With what is going on now, the circumstantial evidence and the testimonies as an investigator, I will tend to believe that indeed [the magnetic lifters contained drugs],” Lapeña told lawmakers, reversing his earlier statements that the lifters contained no drugs.
Earlier in the day, the House held an inquiry on the alleged smuggling of P6.8 billion worth of shabu that slipped past the BOC.
Duterte said he ordered Philippine National Police Chief, Director General Oscar Albayalde to arrest Guban and let the National Bureau of Investigation take him in custody.
“I said, ‘Right after the session, you arrest him.’ Albayalde said, ‘On what ground?’ Just bring him to the NBI,” the President said, gesturing to his aides to call the authorities to see if Guban had been arrested.
Duterte then linked Guban to the smuggling of shabu, claiming the resigned BOC official facilitated its entry in the country with the use of fake identification cards.
“He was the one who let it in, he faked the IDs. T*** i**. You know, if you do that every day, p****** i** you’re making me look like a fool,” he said.
In an earlier inquiry, Guban admitted he received P10,000 to find the consignee-for-hire that would take the magnetic lifters allegedly packed with large amounts of shabu.
Almost two weeks ago, the President released an intelligence report on law enforcement officials allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.
The administration’s “secret special report” contained a detailed account of illegal activities of Guban, former Police superintendent Eduardo Acierto, and dismissed Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency deputy director general Ismael Fajardo Jr.
The report stated Guban has created a network, asking individuals to turn to him for the supply of illegal drugs and other commodities such as fireworks, rice, sugar, onions, and garlic.
Earlier in the hearing, two X-ray inspection experts of the Bureau of Customs disputed the claim of their supervisor that the four magnetic lifters found in a warehouse in Cavite contained methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth P6.8 billion.
John Mar Morales, an X-ray technician who is now assigned at the Port of Batangas, and Manuel Martinez, the X-ray inspector who examined the four magnetic lifters, contradicted former Customs X-ray Division chief and Deputy Collector Lourdes Mangaoang’s allegation on the alleged shabu smuggling.
“In my presentation before this joint committee, the X-ray image in the magnetic lifters shows nothing unusual,” Morales told the joint panel.
Martinez, who conducted the X-ray tests of the four lifters, also disputed Mangaoang’s claim.
But Mangaoang, who inspected the magnetic lifters to determine whether they really contained shabu, stood by her earlier assessment that the lifters contained drugs when they were brought in.
Enumerating her qualifications, Mangaoang said: “As an image analyst and a seasoned investigator, as a collector of Customs, [and] a lawyer, I believe the magnetic lifters contain shabu.”
READ: Customs deputy on floating status; ‘cleansing’ begins
She admitted, however, that the presence of shabu cannot be established in magnetic lifters just by plain analysis of the X-ray images.
Lapeña had earlier demoted Mangaoang and put her on floating status, in what some sources said was an attempt to silence her.
She told the House panel she was disappointed by her reassignment to the Customs “freezer.”
But Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop expressed doubts about her credibility because Lapeña had her removed as deputy Customs collector at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
An irked Mangaoang threatened to walk out of the hearing but apologized after Barbers warned her against issuing unnecessary remarks.
READ: Drug lords out to get me-BOC chief
“I am here to tell truth, no ill will. Because I would not be here if I am not invited here. The reason that I am here is because I was invited and why do I feel that I am being prosecuted as if I am the one that is responsible,” Mangaoang said.
“You invited me here as resource speaker and yet you have kept on saying I have ill-will? That is unfair. If you do not need me here [in this hearing] I can leave,” she added.
In response, Barbers, chairman of the House dangerous drugs committee, said: “Your statement somehow gave credence to the initial findings of the committee. You are a government employee, you cannot just leave this committee.”
“Never ever [think] that we owe you something that you attend this hearing,” Barbers told Mangaoang.
“We are here to get your opinion so it could help our investigation,” Barbers added.
At the hearing, Lapeña said drug lords have amassed a P20-million fund to discredit him.
“I was informed that the players have put up a sinking fund of P20 million that will be used against me because my reformative efforts are already hurting their operation,” he said.
In a TV interview, Lapeña said he would not step down despite controversies over alleged shabu smuggling.
“I will not resign because I still have to accomplish what the President wants me to do in the bureau, I am doing very well,” Lapeña said.
He also accused Mangaoang of being used by drug syndicates “wittingly or unwittingly” to discredit him.
“I serve at the pleasure of the President and will continue to lead the Bureau of Customs as he has directed” Lapeña said.
The Customs chief also boasted that the bureau met and even surpassed the agency’s revenue collection target for the eight consecutive months, demonstrating that the numerous reforms he implemented have caused a positive result.
But Mangaoang, who filed a petition before the Civil Service Commission to retain from her post as BOC-Ninoy Aquino International Airport Authority deputy collector, insisted that the four magnetic lifters that were found in Cavite warehouse contained P6.8-billion shabu.
In a statement, Lapeña said he will never destroy his name protecting these drug syndicates.
“I have served this government and this country for 34 years without compromising my principles and highest regard for integrity in public service. For those people or groups working jointly to oust me, I know who you are,” he said.
Also on Wednesday, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency reiterated that samples from the intercepted “shabu” (crystal meth) shipment at the Manila International Container Port and evidence seized from recent anti-drug operations have the same profile.
“Same profile of drug samples means same source, same manufacturer, and same method used in the production of the illegal drug. We are confident that the newfound scientific evidence will corroborate our claim that large amounts of shabu from the emptied magnetic lifters in a warehouse in GMA, Cavite, are circulating in our streets,” PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino said in a statement.
Based on the investigation, the shabu came from Taiwan, while Malaysia was the transshipment point, he said. With Vito Barcelo and PNA