Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino. EDWIN BACASMAS/Inquirer File Photo
Not only the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) but also the military intelligence was excluded by former Secretary of Justice and now Senator Leila De Lima in the controversial December 2014 raid inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), former intelligence officer of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand Marcelino said.
Marcelino was supposed to testify during Thursday’s congressional inquiry on the drug proliferation inside the national penitentiary but Congress decided to forego with his testimony and referred it to the House Committee on Public Order and Safety.
Lawmakers also criticized Marcelino’s affidavit saying it looked like a curriculum vitae containing his accomplishments.
In his nine-page affidavit, Marcelino said he was part of the interagency group that planned the Bilibid raid.
“I even personally gave briefing to then DOJ (Department of Justice) Secretary Leila De Lima,” Marcelino said.
As early as July, several meetings were held by officials from PDEA, Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), PNP-CIDG and the DOJ for operational planning.
“In fact, we already have targets or identified personalities which are confirmed to be involved in illegal drugs and ‘kubol’ controversy. The intelligence information includes Jaybee Sebastian, Peter Co, Vicenty Sy and Herbert Colanggo, among others,” Marcelino said.
The discussion, Marcelino said, centered on how the operation will be conducted.
“There was an initial proposal to divide the NBP into sectors and a specific office or unit will be assigned to conduct the operation to each sector. However, the participants did not reach a point of agreement on the concept of operation plan leading us to think that the conduct of the raid was still put on halt,” he said.
However, he said he was surprised when the DOJ still pushed through with the raid on Dec. 15, 2014.
“The ISAFP was excluded in the raid and the ensuing investigation even though the original plan was for ISAFP to conduct forensic examination on the contrabands including cellphones,” Marcelino said.
Former CIDG Chief Benjamin Magalong, during the House inquiry on the Bilibid drug trade, said he told De Lima and then Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Chief Franklin Jesus Bucayu about the information they received on Bilibid.
However, Magalong said even though they were part of the planning stage for the massive raid, CIDG as well as the PDEA were excluded when the plan was carried out.
De Lima denied Magalong’s allegation saying the police were not excluded because the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Special Action Force were part of the said raid.
She added that personality-related issues were among her considerations because Bucayu and another police official Reginald Villasanta have issues with Magalong. RAM/rga
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