Panelo: What P10-M bounty?

A Malacañang official has distanced himself from the P10-million bounty supposedly offered by the Office of the President for information that would lead to the arrest of dismissed police official Eduardo Acierto.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said he had no knowledge of the bounty, which was confirmed by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra earlier this week.

Asked why such a high price was placed on Acierto’s head, Panelo said: “I don’t know, it didn’t come from me … I have no knowledge on that P10-million bounty.”

Guevarra confirmation

He made the remarks three days after Guevarra confirmed that the Office of the President had offered a P10-million reward for Acierto’s arrest.

The dismissed police colonel is at large after a Manila court ordered his arrest for his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso “shabu” (crystal meth) smuggling controversy.

He earlier tagged former special presidential economic adviser Michael Yang in the narcotics trade, an accusation President Duterte himself denied.

The President said the businessman was a close friend of top Chinese officials, citing Yang’s ties with Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua as proof of Yang’s innocence.

Duterte also accused Acierto of corruption and of providing government-purchased firearms to communist insurgents.