For failing to attend the Senate hearing on the P11-billion shabu shipment that slipped past the Bureau of Customs, former Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto and three others were ordered arrested after they were cited for contempt.
Senate Blue Ribbon chairman Senator Richard Gordon said that aside from Acierto, others to be arrested were SMYD trading owner Marina Signapan, dismissed Director Ismael Fajardo of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and Emily Loquingan, ex-wife of Pony Chan, also known as Chun Chung, one of the Chinese individuals spotted at the Cavite warehouse where the emptied magnetic lifters containing shabu were discovered.
Former BOC intelligence officer Jimmy Guban tagged Acierto as the one who facilitated the smuggling of billions of pesos worth of shabu in the country.
Guban, who had been placed under the government’s witness protection program, also earlier testified that he and Acierto worked with Fajardo in the smuggling of the shabu.
On the other hand, PDEA has named Signapan’s SMYD Trading as the consignee of the four magnetic lifters containing the billions of pesos worth of shabu.
“The contempt order is now formal. We are now going to issue contempt orders so we can get these people back here,” said Gordon.
Gordon also warned that if they still fail to show up in the next hearing on December 4, they will be detained inside the Senate detention facility.
“We can’t allow them to run circles around us. This is not a good day to fool around,” he said.
In fact, he said Acierto should have been long arrested. “I don’t know why there is a lot of foot dragging on his case,” Gordon said.
The senator also lamented the failure of Fajardo to show up in the hearing. He noted that Fajardo stopped attending the Senate hearings after his name was dragged in the alleged shabu shipment.
He said Acierto has not also been attending the hearing. Signapan, meanwhile, did not attend Thursday’s hearing, claiming she was sick.
Gordon looked for Signapan’s medical certificate, but she apparently only sent a text message.
“This meeting was called almost two or three weeks ago… A text is not sufficient, you know that,” he said.
“She’s been trying to evade us. The chair declares her in contempt. We’re not going to let anybody run circles around us,” he said.
Signapan was earlier cited in contempt during the committee’s hearing on Sept. 19 because Gordon said she had consistently lied in her testimonies.
During the hearing, Gordon also presented a picture showing Acierto and Fajardo attending a party when they were consistently absent during the panel’s past hearings.
Fajardo, Acierto, and Guban initially investigated the shabu shipment after receiving information on the case. However, it was later alleged that they had facilitated the release of the magnetic lifters containing the illegal drugs.
During the hearing, Gordon again slammed Customs and PDEA officials for alleged incompetence as he sought a deeper investigation on the matter.
Meanwhile, self-declared broker Meg Santos has denied being involved in the shabu, belying Guban’s claims.
She denied the accusation of Guban that she was among those who had conspired to smuggle the billions worth of shabu by hiring Signapan as the consignee together with Acierto.
“There is no truth to the statement of Jimmy Guban. I don’t know Colonel Acierto. I never talked to Guban. I haven’t talked to them about the shipment,” said Santos.
But Santos later backpedalled and admitted knowing Signapan but insisted they are not involved in drug smuggling.