[PHNO-hl] PNP DRUG SCANDAL: LACSON VS. LASTIMOSO
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
Director Panfilo Lacson, chief of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task
Force himself confirmed rumors of being the mastermind behind the problems
hounding Philippine National Police chief Director General Roberto
Lastimoso, when he came out openly yesterday to accuse the PNP head of
having close ties to a drug syndicate.
Lacson joined three other top-ranked PNP officials who have linked Lastimoso
to three separate cases in which he sought the release of arrested drug
dealers. In one instance, Lastimoso allegedly offered a P10-million bribe.
''There were three common denominators in all these incidents--General
Lastimoso, his friend Billy Jaca and drugs,'' Lacson said in several media
interviews yesterday. Lacson's allegations submitted a detailed report on
Lastimoso’s drug connection to President Estrada two days ago.
Two of the incidents involved a certain Vincent Sy, described in Lacson's
report as a level one drug lord was arrested twice in August 1998 by
elements of the PNP's Anti-Narcotic Group (ANG) led by Senior Supt. Reynor
Gonzales.
Lacson claimed the PNP chief, through Jaca, tried to bribe the ANG commander
(Gonzales) into releasing Sy and dropping the case against him. Sy was
allowed to the get away.
''Luckily, Vicente Sy was again apprehended (by the Southern Police
District) with 209 grams of shabu and was charged accordingly,'' Lacson's
report said.
The third incident took place on Jan. 17, when six Chinese suspected drug
traffickers were arrested by the ANG at Robinson's Galleria, Mandaluyong
City. Two days after the arrests, Gonzales was again told by Lastimoso,
through Jaca, to release the suspected drug dealers in exchange for P10
million, Lacson said. Gonzales reported the PNP chief's bribe offer to Lacson.
On Jan. 30, Lacson advised Gonzales continue dealing with Jaca and find an
opportunity for a possible entrapment operation for bribery and corruption
of a public official.
''Ituloy mo lang. Makipaglaro ka lang sa kanila, para ma-trap natin (Just go
on dealing with them. Play along with them so we may trap them),'' Lacson
recalled telling Gonzales.
The ANG chief was not able to collect the bribe because Jaca or even
Lastimoso might have gotten wind of their entrapment plan and aborted the
payoff, Lacson theorizes.
Using mini-radio transceivers with tape recorders, Lacson’s groups was able
to monitor the negotiations between Gonzales and Lastimoso's friends.
One meeting was held at Room 903 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel where Rafael
Madraso was introduced to Gonzales and was recommended by Jaca to be a deep
penetration agent. Madraso had earlier been contacting PAOCTF support
groups volunteering to be a DPA, but was always rejected because of
intelligence reports suspecting him to be a drug lord.
After Madraso’s arrest on March 11, his arresting officer, Supt. Francisco
Jose Villaroman and Supt. Rolando Añonuevo, both of the Southern Luzon
intelligence group to report to Lacson the pressures exerted by Lastimoso
and Chief Supt. Robert Delfin, head, PNP Intelligence Group, for the release
of Madraso.
Madraso was caught with two kilos of shabu in an entrapment operation held
at Sky Trek nightclub in Parañaque. He is now detained at the Parañaque city
jail.
Lacson said that aside from their revulsion to the drug trade and bribery,
it was not possible for Gonzales, Villaroman, and Añonuevo to follow
Lastimoso's request to release the drug suspects as the charges had already
been filed with the prosecutor's office.
Lacson was President Estrada's first choice of PNP chief but the Kuratong
Baleleng case was still in court and the President apparently asked him to
wait for the resolution of the case.
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