Magalong: Albayalde is lying over role in 2013 Pampanga drug raid

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde has been lying about his involvement in the alleged drug-recycling of evidence from a 2013 drug raid in Pampanga.

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong hurled this accusation against Albayalde during the Senate investigation on the so-called “ninja cops” on Wednesday.

Thirteen policemen, who were under Albayalde’s command as then Pampanga police director, were allegedly involved in pilfering millions worth of illegal drugs seized from a buy-bust operation in Mexico town in 2013.

According to Magalong, Albayalde had lied about his involvement in the controversial drug sting during deliberations of his one-star promotion in 2016.

“Wala po siyang ibang ginawa doon kundi i-deny lang na mayroon siyang alam tungkol sa nangyari. Puro denial lang talaga lahat (He did not do anything then but deny that he had knowledge of the operation. It was all denial),” Magalong said during the Senate hearing.

He also said the PNP chief was likewise lying when he denied that he called Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority (PDEA) director general Aaron Aquino, who was then Central Luzon police chief, to stop the implementation of the dismissal order against the 13 police officers.

In the same hearing, retired Police General Rudy Lacadin, who was then the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) deputy director for operations for Region III, also implicated Albayalde in the questionable 2013 raid.

Lacadin said Albayalde called him to ask about the investigation he was conducting at that time. Lacadin also claimed that Albayalde even told him then that he only received “a little” of the gains from the 2013 operation.

READ: Lacadin implicates Albayalde in 2013 drug sting in Pampanga

Albayalde quickly denied this allegation. But Magalong said Albayalde is again lying.

“Someone here is lying and I’m pretty sure it’s not General Lacadin, it’s not me, it’s not the other officers but someone else. Siya (Albayalde) po,” Magalong said while pointing at Albayalde. /kga

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