Ex-Customs intel officer in P6.8-B shabu haul turns state witness

MANILA — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday confirmed that former Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence officer, Jaime Guban, is now under the protective custody of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“Yes, Mr. Guban has been admitted into the WPP (Witness Protection Program). But that’s all I can say,” Guevarra said in a message to reporters when asked to confirm if Guban is now a government witness.

Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chair Richard Gordon earlier said Customs Deputy Collector Lourdes Mangaoang should likewise be placed under the witness protection program

The Senate sought placing Guban under government protection to preserve his possible testimony in connection with the multi-million-peso “shabu” smuggling through the BOC.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered Guban’s arrest for facilitating the entry of the contraband into the country, stressing that he faked identification cards to allow the entry of tons of shabu through magnetic lifters in the Customs bureau. (Benjamin Pulta/PNA)

Popular

PBBM caps off UAE visit through dialogue with tech execs, Filipino community

By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet Building on the momentum of the first trade deal that the Philippines signed with a Middle Eastern nation on Tuesday, President...

PBBM wants extradition treaty with Portugal to bring Zaldy Co back to PH —DILG

By Brian Campued President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed concerned government agencies to pursue an extradition treaty with Portugal to facilitate the arrest and...

Palace defends DOH stance on Zero Balance Billing Program

By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet With the Zero Balance Billing (ZBB) Program introduced by the Department of Health (DOH) in July 2025 undergoing heightened scrutiny vis-à-vis...

Palace denies imminent Cabinet shake-up

By Brian Campued Malacañang on Monday dismissed reports about an alleged Cabinet revamp. In a statement, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said that “there is no impending...