Barbers: Lapeña should not be prosecuted over ‘shabu’ smuggling mess

Former Bureau of Customs (BoC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña should not be prosecuted over the P11 billion worth of “shabu” allegedly smuggled into the country, Surigao del Norte 2^nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chair of the House committee on dangerous drugs, said on Saturday.

Lapeña came under attack as the shabu haul was smuggled out of the Manila International Container Port (MICP) under his watch.

READ: Duterte told: Prosecute, not promote, Lapeña

“Sa tingin ko, hindi [siya dapat ma-prosecute]. If we will apply iyong principle of chain of command maaaring meron siyang accountability doon, pero hindi enough basis para sa akin to prosecute him,” he told reporters.

(I think he should not be prosecuted. If we will apply the principle of the chain of command, he might have accountability on the issue, but I think it is not enough basis to prosecute him.)

“For what, diba (right)? There was no document that he signed, there was no document he released para mapa-release iyang mga kargamentong iyan (to facilitate the release of those shipment),” said Barbers.

Barbers said those behind the shipment should be the ones prosecuted and not Lapeña.

‘Not tainted by corruption’

Barbers also said he believes that Lapeña did not have a hand in the alleged shipment, noting that the former BoC chief’s service in government was not tainted by corruption.

“Sa aking pagkakilala sa kanya, sa aking nakitang character ng ating commissioner, sa tingin ko he will never even dare involve himself in mga ganyang klaseng [anomaly],” he said.

(Based from my knowledge of him, based on the character I saw in our commissioner, I think he will never even dare involve himself in those kinds of anomaly.)

“Wala namang bahid ng korapsyon ang taong iyan simula nang siya ay manilbihan bilang miyembro ng PNP (Philippine National Police), hanggang sa naging PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency), hanggang sa naging BoC commissioner,” he said.

(He doesn’t have a taint of corruption since he started serving as member of the PNP and then with PDEA, until he became BoC commissioner.)

Barbers said the system at the BoC and the “loopholes” in the laws have allowed drug smuggling to prevail.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier transferred Lapeña to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) as agency head to “spare him from intrigue because he is being relentlessly criticized.”  /muf

READ: Lapeña out of Customs but named Tesda chief with Cabinet rank