Mark Taguba apologizes to VM Pulong Duterte, Atty. Carpio, clears them from BOC drug mess
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Davao City Mayor Paolo “Pulong” Duterte and his
brother-in-law Manases “Mans” Carpio have been cleared of any involvement in
both the Php 6.4 billion shabu and the Bureau of Customs “tara” system as per
the statement of broker Mark Taguba, key witness to the case.
“I had never testified, nor will I ever testify that
Vice-Mayor Paolo Duterte and/or Atty. Manse Carpio were involved in the
shipment of illegal drugs into the country. Neither have I testified, nor will
I ever testify that the aforementioned individuals were involved in the 'tara
system' that was in-place at the Bureau of Customs," Taguba said in a
statement release via his lawyer, Atty. Raymond Fortun.
At a previous senate hearing, when grilled by ardent Duterte
critic Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes on whether Pulong and Mans were members
of the Davao Group engaged in the BOC illegal transactions, Taguba’s only reply
was “Iyun po ang sabi nila”.
Later though, the broker claimed that the names of the two
were only mentioned in conversations with the Davao Group, including contacts “Jack”
and “Tita Nanie”.
Attempting to clear this up, he stated, "As I had
repeatedly stated before Congress and the Senate, the alleged involvement of
the aforementioned individuals are hearsay in nature”.
Taguba also asserted that he had never met either VM Duterte
or Carpio nor discussed any illegal transaction at the BOC with either of them.
"I am making this statement to clear Vice-Mayor Paolo
Duterte and Atty. Manse Carpio from any involvement in the shipment of illegal
drugs into the country, and any anomalies in the Bureau of Customs.
I also hereby apologize to Vice-Mayor Duterte, Atty. Carpio
and to the first family for the proliferation of fake news arising out of my
testimony at the senate yesterday.
As I have repeatedly testified, the contents of the
container (otherwise known as the 'packing list') which was duly certified to
be correct by the port of Xiamen under the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement
will reflect that it only contained general household items and not the five
(5) cylinders where the shabu was discovered.”
Last Thursday, Mark Taguba attended the senate hearing where
the Blue Ribbon Committee probed into the entry of 600 kilos of methamphetamine
or shabu from China to Manila last
May, and how it was able to slip into Custom’s green lane, where the security
checks were allegedly more relaxed compared to the red and yellow lanes.
Based on his statement, Taguba is adamant that the container
his company released did not have shabu
in it.
Individuals who paid “grease money” to BOC officials were
the ones name-dropping Vice Mayor Pulong, says the broker.
In relation with this, Pulong dismissed the claims as
hearsay, and Mans called Trillanes a desperate
rumor monger.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte has previously repeated that he
will resign his position as president should any of his children be proven
involved in corruption, challenging his critic to back their accusations with
evidence.
Source: News5
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Mark Taguba apologizes to VM Pulong Duterte, Atty. Carpio, clears them from BOC drug mess
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