Police report on Nov. 2013 Pampanga drug sting ‘full of lies’ — ex-PNP official

MANILA, Philippines — The account of 13 policemen on a November 2013 illegal drug buy-bust operation in Mexico, Pampanga is ‘full of lies’, a retired Pampanga police official revealed Thursday.

During a Senate probe, retired Police General Manuel Gaerlan said he was the one tasked to validate the report of the Nov. 29, 2013 drug buy-bust where Pampanga policemen seized 36 kilos of shabu.

“Puro po kasinungalingan ‘yung kanilang spot report [That spot report was full of lies]. That was an attempt to cover up what really happened,” Gaerlan said.

He added that the team of Pampanga policemen, who were then led by Police Colonel Rodney Baloyo, conducted the raid without clearance from their superiors, no search warrant, and with no coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Gaerlan said the team conducted the raid in the morning, not at 4:30 p.m. as was indicated in the police report.

“I was designated to validate their report dahil noong araw na yon, Nov. 29, tuwang tuwa kami dahil not everyday may operation, may accomplishment na 36 kilos. After a few days, weeks, umugong na ‘yung mga balita na may irregularity,” he said.

[I was designated to validate their report because that day, Nov. 29, we were very happy. It’s not every day that there is an operation with an accomplishment of 36 kilos. After a few days, there were murmurs of an irregularity (in the operation)].

During that time, Gaerlan said that he concluded that irregularities in the drug sting, which then led to the relief of then Pampanga police provincial director and now PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde.

During the course of the hearing, Senator Panfilo Lacson grilled Baloyo on the details of the buy-bust operation, asking him how did Baloyo’s team accomplish the operation in just a span of a few hours after they received information on the drug sale.

He noted that the police team still had to verify the information given to them, secure and mark P100,000 worth of buy-bust money, conducted surveillance before they could proceed with the drug sting.

“Wala pong totoong sinasabi ito (Baloyo). Inuubos ko oras niya eh. Sige, pagkasyahin mo pa ‘yung natitirang minuto, [There is no truth to what he is saying. I’m double checking the time period that he is saying],” the senator said.

Baloyo and the 12 other policemen were ordered relieved in 2014 after they were found guilty for grave misconduct for failing to account all evidence during the drug sting.

However, after filing a motion for reconsideration in 2016, they were just demoted one rank.  /muf