MANILA, Philippines — National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director General Ricardo de Leon said the agency has “not monitored” a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief who allegedly received monthly payola from dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.
Retired general Raul Villanueva, Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation vice president for security, on Tuesday claimed that there were rumors in the intelligence community about a former chief PNP who was under Guo’s payola.
But Villanueva told the Senate panel investigating Guo’s alleged link to illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators that he could not identify the former PNP official since the information has yet to be confirmed.
“From our agency, we have not monitored the exact name [of the ] mentioned by General Villanueva,” de Leon said, who was at the Senate to defend NICA’s proposed 2025 budget.
“So, I cannot comment on that. I’ll get the information from him (Villanueva) first. But insofar as we are concerned, we are very careful on validating.[any intelligence information],” he said.
Pressed that the concerned unidentified PNP chief was being talked about in the intelligence community, de Leon, in Filipino, said, “As I said, there’s no such thing.”
“I don’t even know this person who was supposedly being talked about in the intelligence community,” he added. De Leon said that NICA was not investigating anyone at the moment with regard to individuals who protect Guo.
“If we receive any information [of national concern] then we validate. That’s how we operate,” de Leon said.
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