MANILA, Philippines—From “3M pizza,” the allegation of a bribe offer in the drug trafficking case involving the “Alabang Boys” has morphed into “tatlong manok [literally three chickens] or P3 million.”

At the hearing by the House committee on illegal drugs, Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino confirmed Tuesday the bribe offer from a relative of Joseph Tecson, one of the three suspects. The two others are Richard Brodett and Jorge Joseph.

Shortly after detaining the three young men on Sept. 20, 2008, Marcelino said a “Joe Tecson” called him up and offered him “tatlong manok or P3 million” for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to release the suspects.

Marcelino, head of the PDEA Special Enforcement Service that arrested the suspects, said he “flared up” upon hearing the offer and immediately rejected it.

PMA classmate

He said the offer was reiterated by a former classmate at the Philippine Military Academy. Marcelino said his classmate dropped out before he graduated in 1994 (the class of the members of the Magdalo Group that staged a mutiny in 2003) and has since become an entrepreneur.

Marcelino said his classmate, whose name he revealed to lawmakers at a closed-door session after the public hearing was suspended at 4 p.m., had sent him a text message shortly before he appeared at the committee.

Last week, the Special Enforcement Service head said he had received three bribe offers, ranging from P3 million to P20 million, which he all turned down.

The PDEA earlier said that it received information that P50 million changed hands that resulted in the state prosecutors recommending the dismissal of the charges against the suspects.

On Monday, Felisberto Verano, lawyer for Brodett and Tecson turned the tables on the PDEA, saying that one of the narcotics agents guarding the suspects had suggested before the three young men faced the inquest fiscal that the suspects treat them to “3M pizza.”

Verano said “3M pizza” could have meant “P3 million” that the agents were waiting to be paid to drop the charges.

No offer

Joselito Tecson said he did not call up Marcelino and offered him a bribe.

“No. Never. I don’t know his number. How can I call him when I don’t know his number?” Tecson said when asked if he called anybody from the PDEA to offer a bribe.

“If I’m going to bribe, it can be traced to the bank. Now tell me the day when I supposedly made the bribe. It can be seen through the bank,” he added.

Tecson is a production designer for popular television shows and concerts.

His wife Flora said: “I hope the PDEA people like Director [General Dionisio] Santiago would be more responsible. They should not take any statement without any basis,” she said.

The PDEA arrested the young Tecson in Cubao, Quezon City, and Brodett and Joseph in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City, on Sept. 20, 2008. Seized from them were Ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana.

Marcelino, 35, said Joseph was responsible for directing the PDEA to Tecson at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Three-month planning

The PDEA officer said the buy-bust operation was a product of three months of planning and case buildup.

He said he felt frustrated that the Department of Justice dismissed the case because he and his men followed standard operating procedures.

“I can tell anybody here that all of the three are drug pushers. We did not plant the evidence there,” he told the lawmakers.

He said his men started the operation with a purchase of Ecstasy from Joseph in Ayala Alabang Village, who then brought the agents to Brodett who supplied the drugs.

Cornered, towed

Brodett tried to get away in his black Honda Accord but the agents, who had a hard time convincing village guards to grant them entry, eventually cornered Brodett, Marcelino said. But not after the agents’ car was bumped and had to be towed to headquarters.

Marcelino said the PDEA team found more damning evidence—marijuana, cocaine and a laptop used by Brodett to buy his goods on the Internet—when Brodett’s father went to the PDEA and tried to retrieve the “Rudy Project” items from the Accord’s boot.

High on drugs

The officer noted that Brodett was “high” on drugs at the time of arrest which could explain why he did not bother to check that only P600 was real among the “boodle money” used in the deal.

“In all modesty, I was impressed with my boys in conducting the first successful buy-bust operation inside Ayala Alabang. If we are that stupid as they claim, we would have not succeeded,” Marcelino said.

He said he was perplexed by how the justice department could easily come out with a resolution dismissing the case but was so impatient when it came to waiting for additional evidence or affidavit from the PDEA.

“I am just wondering why the rush to release them before Christmas Day?” asked Marcelino.

Marcelino’s demeanor and straightforward testimony impressed the congressmen on the panel, including Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco who said he had no reason to doubt that the Marine Corps officer was telling the truth.

Grammatical errors

In contrast, State Prosecutor John Resado was embarrassed throughout the hearing as his resolution was picked apart by the congressmen for the grammatical errors and its obvious bias toward the suspects’ position. But up to the end, Resado said he was standing by his resolution.

Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, who objected to the use of “Alabang Boys” to describe the suspects because it gave residents of his city a bad reputation, questioned Resado for not bothering to contact the PDEA to clear up questions about its affidavit.

“If only you had asked clarificatory questions, it would have answered all the questions in your mind about their affidavit,” Biazon said.

“I am not under obligation to reply,” the prosecutor said.

Resado said he did not believe there was a buy-bust operation although he did not offer any motive why the PDEA filed charges against the three.

“I cannot fathom the minds of the PDEA people,” said the prosecutor, who thought out loudly that the PDEA could intentionally drive the case to fail.

Sudden turnaround

This infuriated PDEA lawyer Alvaro Lazaro, prompting him to reveal what Resado had told him in a phone conversation.

“I want this to be on record. Even if I have to go to Muntinlupa. I have nothing to lose. When I called him (Resado) to ask why the sudden turnaround in the case he said, ‘Let’s not talk on the phone. It’s dangerous because Chief (State Prosecutor Jovencito) Zuño signed it,” Lazaro said.

Resado denied he made the statement.

Zuño defended himself by asking Marcelino if there was any information directly saying that he accepted a bribe or that he actively lobbied for the release of the “Alabang Boys.”

Marcelino said there was no definite information linking Zuño to the bribery as the information that the PDEA had received was about the DOJ in general getting the bribe.

Nervous

Marcelino arrived nearly five hours after the hearing began at 10 a.m. because he had to personally attend to a buy-bust operation in San Juan City. He was nervous and on the verge of tears when he started his testimony.

“As I was monitoring the hearing on the radio, I could not help but have goose bumps at what I was hearing (from the DOJ officials). I don’t know who to trust anymore,” he said.

Marcelino said that he had thought of going back to his “band of brothers in the Marines.” With a report from Norman Bordadora