INQToday: Bongbong Marcos tested ‘negative’ for cocaine in 2021 – analyst

Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:

Bongbong Marcos tested ‘negative’ for cocaine in 2021 – analyst

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did test negative for cocaine in 2021, a drug analyst from St. Luke’s Medical Center confirmed Monday.

During the second hearing of the Senate committee on public order on the allegedly leaked Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) documents that linked certain personalities such as Marcos to illegal drugs, Geresza Reyes said:

“As the analyst po, may lumabas na line. So sa drug test kit po natin, meron doong control line and line for drug analyte. Doon sa resulta may lalabas po dapat siya talaga na line as negative,” said Reyes.

Jinggoy Estrada, ex-PDEA agent bring up each other’s criminal cases

A heated exchange between Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former anti-drug agent Jonathan Morales during a Senate hearing on Monday brought up each other’s criminal cases.

Their verbal brawl started after Morales presented during the hearing a CCTV footage related to the allegedly leaked Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) documents linking certain personalities to illegal drugs.

‘PDEA leaks’ probe legitimizing falsehood? Dela Rosa disagrees

The ongoing investigation of the allegedly leaked documents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is not  “legitimizing falsehood,” according to Senator Ronaldo “Bato” Dela Rosa.

As chairman of the Senate committee on public order, dela Rosa is leading the probe into the supposedly leaked PDEA dossiers that link certain personalities to illegal drugs and allegedly contain an authority to operate and a pre-operation report issued on March 11, 2012, and signed by former PDEA agent Jonathan Morales.

Malaya asks China to respect civilian convoy off to Scarborough Shoal

A security official on Monday appealed to China to respect the upcoming civilian mission to Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal.

National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing that the Atin Ito (This is Ours) civilian convoy has nothing to do with the Philippine government.

NTF-Elcac won’t be abolished by Marcos, says security council exec

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) will not be abolished by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a National Security Council (NSC) official said Monday.

Calls for the repeal of the anti-insurgency task force were raised anew after the Supreme Court (SC) said that red-tagging is a threat to one’s life. NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya was asked about the matter and said:

“They’re imagining things kung sa tingin nila ang Pangulo ay i-abolish ‘yung NTF-Elcac,” he said during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing Monday.