đź“·Former NPC president Benny Antiporda (right) and PTFoMS chief Paul Gutierrez (right) with former President Joseph Estrada (middle).
THE war against illegal drugs during the previous administration is just for a show and is primarily designed to monopolize the illegal drug trade in the country, according to a former Customs intelligence officer.
During the joint hearing of the newly formed quad committee, former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban said that he was part of the joint team which accosted a humongous drug shipment of the Vecaba Trading at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) in 2018.
After the successful operation, Guban then told the quad committee that he had received several calls and messages asking him to release the magnetic lifters where the multi-billion drugs were concealed. It was then that he was told that the shabu shipment belonged to Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband Mans Carpio, and former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang.
“Huwag ka matakot kasi sila Mans Carpio, Pulong Duterte at Michael Yang ang may-ari ng shipment,” Guban quoted a lower-ranked Customs officer as telling him about the shipment of shabu in 2018.
Aside from Rep. Duterte, Atty. Carpio and Yang, Guban likewise mentioned the name of a certain Benny Antiporda whom he said was a former president of the National Press Club.
Guban, who was pulled out from detention to testify about the multi-billion drug shipment inside magnetic lifters, said a Customs official by the name of Dess Mangawan instructed him to answer the call of Mr. Antiporda regarding the accosted drug shipment. He however did not obey Mangawan’s request.
With such a huge volume of illegal drugs, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee then called for an inquiry where he was invited as resource person. It was during the hearing that he was cited in contempt and brought to the senate detention facility where a certain Paul Gutierrez who introduced himself as an associate of Mr. Antiporda, a former President of the National Press Club.
“Huwag mong banggitin ang pangalan nila Pulong Michael Yang at Mans. Alam namin kung saan ka nakatira… alam din namin na nasa Makati ang anak mong lalaki,” Gutierrez reportedly told him.
Before the hearing came to a close, House human rights committee chair Bienvenido Abante Jr. moved to invite the persons namedropped by the former Customs intelligence officer.– Rep Duterte, Atty. Carpio, former Davao City councilor Nilo Abellera Jr., a certain Ernan Abario, former Environment undersecretary Benny Antiporda and Presidential Task Force on Media Security Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez.
Meanwhile, House dangerous drugs panel chairman and Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers said that Guban’s testimony is only a part of the puzzle for now.
“His testimony is something new and would more or less relate to our theory that the illegal drugs are linked to other crimes, like money laundering. Look at his testimony: illegal drugs were slipped in containers (magnetic lifters), and there are people enabling it,” Barbers said.
“You know, he never thought twice in saying who these people are, which was contrary to how he did testify before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee [in 2018]. This is still a puzzle, and we do hope that during the next hearing, we can put the pieces of the puzzle [together],” he added. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
