Ex-PDEA agent grilled in Senate hearing

Former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent Jonathan Morales got a lashing during the Senate hearing on the alleged PDEA leaks after he admitted to planting of evidence which resulted to his dismissal from service.

During the inquiry, senators and former PDEA officials revealed Morales’ string of criminal and administrative cases, seriously damaging his credibility during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on Monday.

Former PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac revealed that Morales had admitted to falsifying his testimony and planting evidence during an operation against alleged Filipino-Chinese drug suspects.

“Mr. Morales said that the contents of his affidavit were false because the evidence were fabricated and the evidence planted,” Cacdac said, citing a memorandum by the PDEA Legal and Prosecution Service dated 26 December 2012.

"That's why I was amazed. I've been in the service for a while, I just experienced something like that. Meanwhile, our agents who do not appear in court, and the case is dismissed, we are suing them immediately," the former PDEA chief said.

Following Cacdac’s statements, Morales was asked to respond and said, “Totoo po ‘yung sinasabi ni General Cacdac.”

PDEA Legal and Prosecution Service acting director Atty. Francis del Valle also stressed that “the name Bongbong Marcos does not appear in the national drug information system or interagency drug information database. Hence, he has never been included in the drug war list.”

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri also said that Morales has never shown any evidence that corroborates his series of unfounded accusations during the Senate hearings.

“While certain claims were made, documentary evidence is yet to be presented. There were no pictures, no corroborating testimonies. In other words, this was solely based on a testimony of one person based on what appears to be hearsay evidence,” Zubiri said.