The Senate is prepared for any untoward incident that might take place during a committee hearing on Tuesday when ranking Philippine National Police officers linked to the alleged recycling of millions of pesos worth of drugs come face to face with their accuser – retired PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
Sen. Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon and Justice Committees, said the Senate is committed to secure the safety of Magalong and the senators, particularly during the public hearing by his committees.
Gordon said the committees have sent notices to the few ranking PNP officers allegedly involved in the drug recycling scandal but not to the whole 12 earlier named by Magalong in a Senate closed door session.
He said he was assured by Magalong that he has secured his family.
Tension appears rising over Magalong’s identification of the “ninja” police officers during a recent executive session with members of the two Senate committees. These police officers reportedly led the police anti-illegal drugs operations.
Some even made more money by kidnapping another person, usually a Chinese, to replace their original target. The bad money comes from the ransom paid.
Later, senators voted overwhelmingly to allow Gordon to make public the identities of the 12 but would give the list to President Duterte who will name them.
A “silent’’ condition affixed to the agreement is that the Gordon committees will reveal the names of the 12 in their Tuesday public hearings if no public disclosure is made by Malacanang before that date.
Duterte is scheduled to leave for Moscow for a state visit sometime next week.
Gordon said he doffs his hat off to Magalong for coming out in the open and for being a brave and principled person. He probably could not stomach what happened during the raids, he added.
Gordon favored an open hearing on the Magalong revelations since it does not involve national security but public interest.
He said his two committees would not stop their public hearings until a clear picture comes into shape to avoid negative public impressions from forming.
‘’We are after anybody who commit crime but we are after anybody who commit crime,’’ he added. (Mario Casayuran)
