Davao councilor Abellera denies hand in P6.4-B shabu shipment

Davao councilor Nilo Abellera Jr. has denied his involvement in the P6.4 billion worth of shabu shipment from China that entered the country in May.

Abellera, who skipped the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Tuesday, sent an affidavit stating his denial. He also stated that his mother was sick and he had to rush to Samar.

“I hereby state that I have no knowledge, let alone any participation on the shipment of shabu from China, subject matter of the current Senate investigation,” Abellera said in his affidavit which was read at the beginning of the probe.

Customs “fixer” Mark Taguba earlier tagged Abellera as the “Small” of the alleged Davao Group he transacted with, together with aliases “Tita Nanie and Jack.”

In previous hearings, Taguba claimed that he gave Abellera P5 million “enrollment fee for the Davao Group” and that the group received about P1 million per week through “Jack.”

“Basically he said that he does not know Mr. Taguba nor does he have anything to do with the alleged smuggling of the drug shipment into the Philippines, nor is he the alleged bagman of Commissioner Faeldon,” said Rodolfo Quimbo, the director general of the Senate Blue Ribbon Oversight Office Management, when asked by panel chair Senator Richard Gordon on the contents of Abellera’s affidavit.

“He texted myself this morning and said his mother is sick and therefore (he can’t make it). And then I forwarded it to you Gordon)… and he had to rush to Samar,” Quimbo added.

Quimbo said Abellera also requested to attend the Senate hearings on August 31 and September 4, to make up for his absence in today’s hearing.

While Abellera denied he knew any “Tita Nanie” in his affidavit, he said he had met a person named “Jack.”

“I do not know any “Tita Nani” or “Tita Nanie”. However, I confirm that I have casually met a certain “Jack” previously, but whose surname and other personal circumstances I do not even know,” Abellera said in his affidavit.

According to the Davao councilor, some time last year or early last year, he received a text message from a certain Jack requesting for a meeting.

“When I arrived at the resto bar, Jack was already there accompanied by a young person whom I didn’t know at the time. Jack told me he was representing a certain customs broker and asked me if I could arrange a meeting between the said customs broker and Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte,” Abellera stated in his affidavit.

He added that after he refused the request, Jack introduced his companion who happened to be Mark Taguba. Following this, he excused himself and left the two.

“I never had any transaction or dealing of whatever nature with Mr. Taguba and I never saw or talked to him ever since,” Abellera said.

“Contrary to Mr. Taguba’s assertion, I did not call him by telephone later that night,” he added. CBB