P50 million bribery attempts to free three rich men called the "Alabang Boys"

MANILA, Philippines—’Tis the season to be jolly, but not for the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) whose investigation of the alleged attempts to free the three so-called “Alabang Boys” has been hampered by the long holiday break.

NBI Director Nestor Mantaring said the probe of allegations that P50 million was paid to Department of Justice (DoJ) officials for the dismissal of drug charges against Richard Santos Brodett, Jorge Jordana Joseph and Joseph Ramirez Tecson would have to wait until the end of the holidays.

“We have an ongoing investigation but the people we still have to talk to and question are all out of town for the holidays,” Mantaring said.

He said the people to be interviewed were employees of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the DoJ.

No access to documents

Several people were interviewed by the NBI Special Task Force, which Mantaring tapped to conduct the probe, but their statements have yet to be reduced to sworn statements about the alleged bribery.

“We cannot even obtain the documents we need in our probe until the offices reopen,” Mantaring said.

The alleged payoff supposedly resulted in state prosecutors recommending the dismissal of the case against Brodett, Joseph and Tecson.

The three rich young men are still under the custody of the PDEA, as the release order for the suspects has not been signed by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

The three men were arrested by PDEA agents in buy-bust operations in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa, and Cubao, Quezon City on Sept. 20. Seized from the suspects were 60 tablets of Ecstasy, sachets of cocaine and marijuana.

Besides the P50-million alleged payoff, three attempts to bribe officers of the PDEA were made for the release of the three men, said Major Ferdinand Marcelino, head of the PDEA Special Enforcement Service, the unit that led the buy-bust operations against the suspects.

Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño has denied that he and the prosecutors who investigated and reviewed the case had been bribed into recommending the dismissal of charges.

Mantaring told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the justice secretary was expecting results after the holidays. But the NBI chief said, “I think he (Gonzalez) will understand the delay.”

Source:
Long holiday break stalls bribery case
By Jeannette Andrade
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:43:00 12/31/2008