BACOLOR, Pampanga — A former customs intelligence officer who was jailed for his involvement in the entry of two magnetic lifters containing shabu at the Manila International Container Port in 2018 alleged that Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte and two others owned the P6.8 billion shipment.
Guban was convicted for being a conspirator in the smuggling of shabu that were concealed in magnetic lifters.
During a joint hearing by four committees of the House of Representatives or the “Quad Committee” on Friday here, Jimmy Guban claimed that he was called by a certain “Benny Antiporda” to facilitate the release of the shipments.
Guban said that he was ordered by Davao City Councilor Nilo Abellera to allow the entry of the cargos as they belonged to “Michael Yang, Pulong Duterte and Mans.”
Yang was the former economic adviser of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, Pulong is the nickname of the Davao City lawmaker and son of the then incumbent and Mans is Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Guban cited an intelligence report shared to him by then Col. Eduardo Acierto who was with the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) showing illegal drugs at the Bureau of Customs “between the months of May and June 2018.”
“In the backtracking of documents, we were able to find out that the Vecaba Trading shipment was the consignee of the shabu shipment that was reported to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in 2018,” he said.
“It was found out that the Vecaba trading was not an accredited importer or consignee of the Bureau of Customs,” Guban said in his statement that he read to the committee.
He claimed that while he was detained at the Senate, a certain Paul Gutierrez introduced him as a staff of Benny Antiporda and, accompanied by a representative from the Blue Ribbon Committee, “went to my cell and threatened me.”
Guban said in his statement that he never confided to former Blue Ribbon Committee chairman senator Richard Gordon that Carpio had been implicated in the illegal drug importation in various ports in the country “for fear that my son will be killed and my family will be in danger.”
“I testified in the Blue Ribbon Committee on Oct. 30, 2018 and instead of pointing to Pulong Duterte, Mans Carpio and Michael Yang as the owners of the shipment based on the intelligence reports, I pointed to Col. Acierto as the consignee of the shipment,” Guban said.
The Manila Times reached out to Duterte, Carpio, and Antiporda for their reaction to Guban’s claims.
Be the first to comment