Senators and former officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on May 13 demolished the credibility of Jonathan Morales, the witness in the alleged “PDEA leaks,” criticizing his testimonies as mere hearsay.
As this developed, Dr. Cecilia Lim, head of the Drug Testing Center of St. Luke Medical Center confirmed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., then a senator, was negative for cocaine.
During the resumption of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs, they disclosed Morales’ string of criminal and administrative cases, seriously putting to doubt his credibility during the hearing. Morales also admitted to planting evidence which resulted in his dismissal from service.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri noted that Morales has yet to present documentary evidence despite his claims and serious accusations.
“There were no pictures, no corroborating testimonies. In other words, this was solely based on the testimony of one person based on what appears to be hearsay evidence,” said Zubiri.
He likewise scoffed at Morales who cited a document which he claimed to have seen (being a former PDEA agent) although he did not personally witness any wrongdoing.
“Then, the drug test of the President is being brought up, even though it did not appear to be germane to the subject of the motu proprio investigation done last hearing,” added Zubiri.
While legislative inquiries are very liberal in terms of adhering to rules of evidence, the Senate leader believes hearings should ferret out the truth using evidence and facts. Otherwise, the faith of people in inquiries-in-aid of legislation may be diminished, especially when it causes damage to the reputation of other parties.
He likewise warned his colleagues to be very careful not to use hearings in aid of political persecution.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada also echoed Zubiri’s warning and called again committee chairperson Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa on the testimony of Morales, a dismissed policeman and former PDEA agent.
He said the committee should not condone Morales, whom he called “a congenital liar,” for spreading lies against the President and other personalities without presenting any evidence.
Estrada likewise presented former PDEA Director Gen. Dionisio Santiago who said Morales was known in the PDEA as STL or “Story Telling Liar.”
Dela Rosa acknowledged the warnings of Zubiri and Estrada.
PDEA Director Moro Virgilio Lazo told Dela Rosa’s committee that no such documents — “the so- called PDEA leaks” — appeared in their official record.
Former PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac revealed that Morales 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 December 26, 2012.
“So I was surprised. I have been in the service for a long time but it was the first time I encountered such an incident. We immediately file charges against our agents who did not appear in court, which resulted to dismissal of cases of the accused,” explained Cacdac.
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 Francis del Valle also stressed that “the name Bongbong Marcos alias Bonget 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.”
Meanwhile, Estrada questioned the invitation sent by Dela Rosa to former executive secretary Paquito Ochoa who failed to attend Monday’s hearing due to Covid.
Morales said he was informed that it was Ochoa who interfered to stop the 2012 drug operation that targeted Marcos, actress Maricel Soriano and other personalities.
