By Vanne Elaine Terrazola

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday came to the defense of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong amid claims that he brought up the controversial anti-drug operation in Pampanga to destroy the image of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde.

At the Senate justice committee’s hearing on Tuesday on the involvement of so-called “ninja cops” in the recycling of illegal drugs, Albayalde alleged that Magalong had a personal gripe against him for refreshing in an executive session the November 2013 operation by 13 anti-illegal drug policemen tagged in the alleged “agaw-bato” scheme in Mexico, Pampanga.

The PNP chief was Pampanga provincial director at the time and was relieved from his post for command responsibility.

But Sotto said it was not Magalong who initiated the issue in the Senate.

“I’m suprised why they are blaming Mayor Magalong on the issue. Apparently, hindi nila nasundan ‘yong (they were not able to follow the) hearing ng (of the) committee on justice and blue ribbon. Hindi naman dinala ni Gen. Magalong ‘yang issue na ‘yan sa Senado nang bigla-bigla, eh (Gen. Magalong did not bring up that issue suddenly),” Sotto said in an interview in Senate, apparently addressing Albayalde.

Sotto recalled that Magalong, who was former PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director, was only invited by the Senate justice panel to speak about his knowledge on the illegal drug activities inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

The committee was then probing the early release of heinous crime convicts through the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law, which unearthed various money-making schemes in the NBP, including illegal drug trade.

Magalong appeared at the Senate panel’s sixth hearing last September 19. He bared that “all roads lead to NBP” after finding out rogue PNP members who recycle seized illegal drugs were dealing with convicted drug lords inside the national penitentiary.

“In the course of that investigation of the NBP, nabanggit niya na talagang nangyayari ‘yan (he mentioned that it is really happening), that even happened sometime in 2013, 2014, isang malaking recycling na naimbestigahan namin (they have investigated a huge drug recycling scheme),” Sotto pointed out.

“That’s the start. Hindi ‘yan out of the blue na (It was not out of the blue, that) Mayor Magalong plucked it out of thin air. Na bigla na lang na after six years ay tinitira niya yong mga involved na tao (That suddenly after six years, he was attacking the people involved). Hindi, hindi ganoon yon, nagkakamali sila (No, that is not how it went, they are mistaken),” the Senate chief said.

Sotto also said that Magalong’s narrations on Tuesday about the Pampanga operation were “very accurate”, as it matched the information he shared with senators during their executive session, as well as the documents finding the irregularities in the drug bust.

“It only means the accuracy of his story,” Sotto said.

He also vouched for the credibility of the Baguio City mayor, having worked with him during his stint in the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB).

“I’ve known Gen. Magalong since 2008, when I was DDB chair, and he was one of the top operatives of the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency). And I know his record, his record is never tainted, from that time to — noong may problem sa PDEA (when there was a problem in PDEA), he was the first to resign and went back to PNP, dahil ayaw niya yong nakikita niya (because he did not like what he saw),” Sotto said.

“I think he has a very good record,” he added.

When asked about Albayade, Sotto, meanwhile, said he still trusts the PNP chief and sees no reason for him to resign ahead of his retirement next month.

“I don’t see anything that involves any untoward issues against Gen. Albayalde form the time he became PNP chief to the present,” Sotto said.

“Again, I would rather always give the benefit of the doubt,” he added.

He said, however, that Albayalde should consider looking into the assignments of his former men, who were supposed to be dismissed in 2014, but were just ordered demoted three years later following their appeal.

But the Department of Interior and Local Government and the National Police Commission should be on top of the review of the 13 policemen’s reassignments, he said.

“Paanong nakabalik ‘yong mga ‘yon kung talagang mabigat yong asunto nila at meron nang administrative order of dismissal (How were these people able to return to service if they indeed committed grave offenses and when there was already an administrative order of dismissal)?” Sotto lamented.

Unlike Magalong, Sotto said he knew Albayalde when the latter became a PNP chief.

Albayalde was appointed by President Duterte to the PNP in April 2018.

Albayalde, during the Senate hearing Tuesday, turned the tables at Magalong for supposedly not working on the dismissal of the 13 alleged “ninja cops” when he was a high-ranking official of the PNP.

But Magalong said he consistently followed up on the status of the criminal cases against the policemen until he retired in 2016.