MANILA — Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino on Sunday clarified that he did not make any call to hold Bureau of Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña liable over the PHP6.8 billion shabu mess.
Aquino refuted an online news report claiming that he has called on Lapeña to be held accountable once the alleged PHP6.8-billion shabu slip is proven true.
“A thorough review of the actual interview on October 18, 2018 with Mr. Joel Reyes Zobel of GMA DZBB reveal that I made no such statement, and in fact mentioned that the determination of command responsibility is part of the on-going investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation,” the PDEA chief said in a statement.
“PDEA never came out with any statement calling on the President to hold Commissioner Lapeña accountable for the alleged PHP6.8B shabu that were contained in the 4 empty magnetic lifters that were found in a warehous in Trece Martires Cavite,” Aquino added.
The PDEA chief has asked GMA News Online website to correct its news article quoting him to have said, “Lapeña should be held liable if P6.8 billion shabu slip is proven.”
As of posting time, GMA News Online already updated its article titled “Heads should roll if ever P6.8-B shabu slip is proven true — PDEA’s Aquino.”
On the other hand, Lapeña said they should stop from arguing in public and should work with each other since they are one with President Rodrigo Duterte in his relentless campaign against illegal drugs.
“In fact, public officials like us should not engage on public bickering, much more hurling unfounded allegations, since we are all supposed to be coordinating and working as one in order to achieve President Duterte’s dream, the Filipino people’s dream, of a drug-free Philippines,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
“As public officials we have to be more prudent in giving information to the general public, especially concerning a matter this serious,” Lapena added.
He said he does not want to react on the issue since there are ongoing investigations on the matter.
“I am not supposed to issue statements regarding this matter out of respect to both the House of Representatives and the Senate which are conducting investigation regarding this matter,” he added. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
