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CEBU CITY, Philippines - Regional state prosecutors asked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to also order some Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) officials to take a leave of absence similar to the order she gave to prosecutors who handled the “Alabang Boys” drug case.
In a phone interview, Central Visayas Regional State Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane said it is unfair to have the prosecutors take a leave while PDEA agents involved in the scandal were not relieved.
However Gubalane said he has yet to meet with colleagues in the region to decide whether or not to join their counterparts nationwide in wearing a red armband as a sign of protest and solidarity for the prosecutors.
Gubalane said they welcome an Ombudsman investigation into the case. State Prosecutor Llena Ipong said some Region 7 prosecutors received a text message from fiscals in Manila asking for support.
But Ipong said none of them will wear an armband since their regional office has yet to come out with a stand supporting the protest.
Provincial Prosecutor Pepita Jane Petralba said their office still has to receive an official communication from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on this matter.
Meanwhile, the Cebu City Prosecutor's Office said they elevated 98 percent of all drug cases brought to their office to the courts last year.
Cebu City Prosecutor Nicolas Sellon said PDEA-7 agents sent a letter to their office last Wednesday, requesting a list of major drug cases handled by their office.
He said the PDEA-7 received a directive from their central office asking them to obtain the list to see whether there were any major drug cases dismissed by the prosecutors.
Major drug cases involve confiscation of 50 grams of illegal drugs and beyond, Sellon said.
In a letter, Sellon said 505 of 516 drug cases filed in their office for inquest proceedings were filed in court. Eleven were dismissed for “valid reasons.”
Senator Francis Escudero supported President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's order directing state prosecutors who handled the Alabang Boys case to go on leave.
Escudero told a news conference that those involved in the controversy should be placed under suspension.
He also said a Senate inquiry into the Alabang Boys case will be held this month.
On Sunday, President Arroyo ordered prosecutors who handled the case to go on leave in response to allegations that certain officials were bribed into dropping the case.
Under the gun is state prosecutor John Resado who dropped the case against suspects Richard Santos Brodett, Joseph Ramirez Tecson and Jorge Jordana Joseph. /With reports from Ador Vincent Mayol and Chito Aragon
