Marcos calls ex-PDEA agent ‘professional liar’

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday called a former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent who had linked him to illegal drugs a “professional liar.”

The Chief Executive made the comment about ex-PDEA agent Jonathan Morales in a media interview in General Santos City.

The Senate is currently investigating Morales’ allegation contained in leaked purported PDEA documents dated 11 March 2012 linking Marcos and actress Maricel Soriano to illegal drug use.

Morales, during the Senate hearing earlier this week, said Marcos’s name was in the pre-operation report and authority to operate of the anti-drug agency.

Last 2 April, PDEA cleared the President, saying the documents were not found in the PORMIS, the Plans and Operations Reports Management Information System.

PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo also affirmed Marcos was never on the agency’s watchlist.

“You know, (Morales) is a professional liar, like a jukebox. Whatever you drop in, as long as you drop money, whatever song you want, he’ll sing it,” Marcos said in Filipino.

“Things don’t make sense. Just look at his, he has a case of false testimony. That’s how it is. How many... he has a history of involvement with various people and situations. It seems like that’s his livelihood, that’s why I call him a professional liar,” the President said.

Marcos had earlier shrugged off the issue of the PDEA documents linking him and Soriano to illegal drug use.

During the GOCC day celebration at the PICC in Pasay City, Marcos simply laughed and walked away when asked by reporters about the issue. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who was at the event, described the allegation as “contrived.”

Senator Jinggoy Estrada revealed that Morales had been charged with numerous crimes in local courts, including for infractions of Article 180 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) pertaining to false evidence.

“The facts and evidence presented demonstrate the questionable integrity and credibility of this particular resource person, and the same evidence refutes all accusations against the PDEA and its current leadership. The statements given by this particular resource person against the agency and leadership are evidently perjurious, defamatory, and outright false,” Estrada said.

Trillanes’ destab claim

In the media interview in General Santos City, Marcos refuted former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s claim of a coup being planned by retired AFP officials and active senior PNP officers to install Vice President Sara Duterte as president.

“While retired individuals may be involved in movements associated with destabilization, there is no evidence of such behavior among our active police force, particularly within the officer corps. But among our police force, and especially in the officer corps, we haven’t observed any politicization,” Marcos said.

Asked about a loyalty check within the ranks, the President said he did not see the need for it since everyone would say they were loyal when asked.

He said that regardless of political affiliations or voting preferences, what matters most is that members of these institutions fulfill their duties diligently and ethically.

“In my view, as long as you are professional and committed to fulfilling your responsibilities, whether or not you supported my candidacy is inconsequential,” Marcos said.

According to Trillanes, the reason for the coup was that former President Rodrigo Duterte was under pressure because the International Criminal Court (ICC) might issue arrest warrants for those who took part in his drug war.

Trillanes said last April that 50 PNP officials, both former and current, had been approached by the ICC to discuss the allegations against Duterte.

Marcos earlier this week asked the Department of Justice to give him a briefer on his options in the ICC’s investigation of Duterte and his drug war.