Lawmakers doubt Bato claim on PDEA documents

SEVERAL lawmakers are questioning the claim of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa that the supposed documents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) that linked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and actress Maricel Soriano to illegal drugs are authentic.

In a radio interview on Wednesday, dela Rosa said the documents, the Authority to Operate and a Pre-Operation Report dated March 11, 2012, were not generated by artificial intelligence and were not fabricated, contrary to claims by PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo during the hearing on Tuesday.

The documents came from former PDEA agent Jonathan Morales, who said they were leaked and eventually came into the possession of anti-administration vlogger Claire Eden Contreras, also known as Maharlika.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said he was “confused and doubtful” on the appearance of Morales accusing the President of involvement in illegal drugs, when the hearing was scheduled to discuss the seizure of 1.4 tons of shabu in Alitagtag, Batangas, worth P9.68 billion.

“It only shows that based on the testimony, it was proven that Morales is lying, and we also saw how PDEA explained that their operational reports are computerized and serialized,” Acidre said.

He said it is “one man’s word against the system,” and that the public should be wary of believing a dismissed PDEA agent who claimed that the President and an actress are involved in illegal drugs.

Isabela 6th District Rep. Faustino Dy 5th said that with the fast spread of AI technology, documents could be fabricated.

“The agency itself has already debunked this as not true, why should we believe those people who have a tainted history and career? For me, it is easy to distinguish who is speaking the truth and who is lying,” Dy said.

Taguig 2nd District Rep. Amparo Maria Zamora said the absence of a control number in the document signifies that it does not exist.

Zamora also believes that the address in the document is nonexistent.

“I don’t think there is an address that has a unit number written after ‘Rockwell Makati’,” Zamora said.

Acidre believes that this investigation is part of a plot to discredit and destabilize the Marcos administration.

“We have a President who has been working hard since taking office to improve the lives of our countrymen,” Acidre said.