MANILA, Philippines? It was a phone-patch showdown that fired up noontime news like the climax of a soap opera.

A word war over who was telling the truth on the alleged P50-million bribe to state prosecutors erupted on national television between the head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and a lawyer of the ?Alabang Boys? arrested in September last year.

The face-off happened Monday when PDEA Director General Dionisio Santiago and lawyer Felisberto Verano were reached for interview aired live on ABS-CBN News Channel?s lunchtime program ?Dateline Philippines.?

The program sought both camps to shed light on the alleged bribe try for the Department of Justice?s dismissal of drug charges against Richard Brodett, Jorge Joseph and Joseph Tecson, who were arrested in buy-bust operations four hours apart on Sept. 20.

?It?s all made up. It?s all kwentong kutsero. You saw how they can?t come up with any real proof,? said Verano, lawyer of Brodett and Tecson.

Lapses

The suspects? camp earlier clarified that the case was dismissed because of operational lapses the PDEA committed during the buy-bust operation, worst among which were violations of the suspects? constitutional rights.

In reply, Santiago said that Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino, head of PDEA?s Special Enforcement Service that led the buy-bust, had disclosed three bribe offers made to him by Tecson?s camp.

?Marcelino opened up and he?s a person of credibility,? the PDEA chief said.

Standing his ground, Verano retorted mostly in Filipino: ?You know, their story is funny. They are fooling themselves. If they?re referring to Marcelino, why won?t he surface and point to who made the offer??

?And if they are really so good, they should have done an entrapment [operation] on the one that offered. They are liars,? Verano added.

Lawyers block everything

To this, Santiago, once a chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said: ?Attorney, be careful about what you?re saying... I?m telling you what my official told me,? he said.

When the anchor asked whether Marcelino named names, Santiago replied: ?Ask Marcelino, not me! What I?m saying is we can?t proceed. You lawyers block everything! Then you?ll say we are lying??

On whether the Alabang Boys should remain detained, both stuck to their positions: Santiago was for it and Verano against it.

Santiago has been contending that the PDEA had the right to keep the three young suspects based on a Department of Justice memorandum, which according to him, allows the agency to take custody of the suspects while a resolution recommending their release was being reviewed by the justice secretary.

But Verano said: ?Santiago is not a lawyer. He does not know a thing about law.?

The anchor also asked Verano whether anyone had approached the families of the suspects ?to fix the case.?

Pizza

At that point, the lawyer talked about the ?3M pizza.?

?Nobody approached us originally. The first day they were caught, when they were in the PDEA holding room, one of the agents mentioned that having 3M pizza was their favorite. Obviously, they were referring to what we are willing to offer. But we didn?t bite because we have a strong case,? Verano said.

The lawyer believed ?3M? meant P3 million, supposedly the PDEA?s asking price for the release of the suspects.

To this, Santiago answered: ?So sorry, attorney, but you called us liars ? You started it. You keep talking without thinking about what you say.?

On the ?pizza? matter, Santiago said: ?I don?t know what stories they?re making up. That?s coming from them. We are just answering based on what we read from the media.?

Santiago first came out with the bribery charge on television and later issued media releases on the matter.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer attempted several times to reach Santiago Monday but could not get through as of press time.