MANILA, Philippines?The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency denied Wednesday that former Chief Insp. Rolando Mendoza had taken part in the operation that led to the arrest of a son of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim two years ago.

In a phone interview with the Inquirer, PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago said the operation that led to the arrest of Manny Lim in Manila was an operation of his agency.

Santiago was asked to comment on a statement by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who chairs a panel investigating the Aug 23 hijacking by Mendoza of a busload of Hong Kong Tourists that she was checking out information the sacked police officer may have been involved in the arrest of Lim?s son.

?That?s not true, that operation was conducted purely by our agents. It was the men of (PDEA agent Ferdinand) Marcelino,? Santiago said.

In March 2008, the younger Lim, a businessman, was arrested in a buy-bust operation along with others in a hotel on Tomas Mapua St. in Manila?s Binondo district. Seized from the suspects were 100 grams of shabu, then worth P600,000.

Lim said then that he got a call from Santiago informing him of his son?s arrest. He said he would not interfere in the investigation.

A former police chief, Lim is known as ?Dirty Harry? for his relentless crackdown on criminals.