Ex-PDEA agent forgets name of leaked documents source

Former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) investigation agent Jonathan Morales during the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs’ resumption of its investigation of PDEA’s leaked documents on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Screengrab from Senate of the Philippines official YouTube page)

MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) investigation agent Jonathan Morales said on Tuesday that he could not recall the identity of the confidential source of the agency’s leaked documents linking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and actress Maricel Soriano to illegal drug use.

During the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs’ resumption of its investigation of PDEA’s leaked documents, Morales said he could not remember the source’s name.

“I could no longer recall, your honor,” Morales, talking in Filipino, said, which irked Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who asked about the source’s identity.

“You know, Morales, you are mentioning names of prominent personalities, even the name of the president and a famous actress, without evidence. You said it came from an informant but could not recall the name. You are just ruining the reputation of these people,” Estrada said.

Morales explained that he needed to see the document first before he could fully recall the informant’s identity, but said that he remembered details of what the source told him.

Upon hearing this, Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, the committee chairman, asked Morales if he could not remember the name or if was just refusing to break his agreement with his informant.

Morales said he could not recall, prompting Dela Rosa to ask about the source’s gender.

“It’s difficult to divulge the gender of the confidential informant as it could put their life in danger,” Morales said.

Dela Rosa proposed conducting an executive session so Morales could reveal the informant’s identity. However, the former PDEA agent said he would only agree to reveal the source’s gender.

On April 30, the upper chamber began its inquiry into the PDEA’s leaked March 11, 2012 documents, the Authority to Operate and a Pre-Operation Report.

During the previous hearing, PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo categorically stated that the documents were fake.

Morales, who signed the papers, refuted this as he maintained that the documents that were leaked and connected Marcos and Soriano to illegal drugs were real.

A day after, on May 1, Dela Rosa said that he was convinced that the “leaked” documents were not fabricated, saying that Morales is “very straightforward.”