MANILA, Philippines — The management of a condominium unit mentioned in an alleged leaked report of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has been subpoenaed by a Senate panel to attend its next hearing.
In its letter to the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, Rockwell Residential Towers Condominium Corp. invoked the Data Privacy Act in refusing to disclose details about the condo unit.
“Please advise that we are constrained from releasing personal information based on your request because of the Data Privacy Act,” said a portion of the letter read by the panel chairman, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, during its hearing on Tuesday.
The committee is investigating the alleged Authority to Operate and a Pre-Operation Report supposedly issued by PDEA on March 11, 2012, which recently circulated on social media.
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The pre-operation report mentioned that a group of showbiz and politically affluent personalities was allegedly using illegal drugs inside the said condo unit in Makati City.
Dela Rosa then asked the National Privacy Commission (NPC) representative, Atty. Althea Therese Radovan, if the reason cited by the condo management was valid.
Radovan answered no, saying that the panel should be given access to the requested information since the request would be used in a legal or lawful process such as a Senate hearing.
“Because if the request is for a legal process or that the information will be used in such a hearing as this or in order for you to fulfill your mandate, then you should have been given access to the requested information,” Radovan explained.
Dela Rosa pointed out that the NPC is the main implementor of the Data Privacy Act invoked by condo management.
“So comsec (committee secretary), subpoena Rockwell Residential Towers Condo Corp. Simple lang naman hinihingi natin e, hindi naman nakakasira sa tao,” the senator later said.
(Committee secretary, subpoena Rockwell Residential Towers Condo Corp. What we’re asking for is simple; it won’t ruin anyone.)
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Before this, dela Rosa also warned the issuance of a subpoena to former Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. after the latter failed to attend the hearing.
In a separate letter to the panel chairman on Monday, Ochoa apologized for not attending the probe, citing a “scheduling conflict.”
Ochoa was also dragged into the controversy after a former PDEA investigation agent, Jonathan Morales, reportedly pointed to him as the one who allegedly ordered not to proceed with the 2012 operation.
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However, PDEA has already debunked the false operational documents.