8-11-2024 (MANILA) Former police colonel Eduardo Acierto has made explosive allegations before the House Quad Committee, claiming that former President Rodrigo Duterte provided protection to two individuals allegedly connected to illegal drug operations, including former Presidential Economic Adviser Michael Yang and an individual identified as Allan Lim.
During Thursday’s parliamentary hearing, Acierto responded to questioning from Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr., asserting that Duterte’s protective actions towards Yang and Lim were “very obvious.” He detailed how his 2017 confidential report linking Yang to narcotics activities was allegedly disregarded by senior officials in both the police force and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
The former colonel claimed that when his documented reports could not be disputed, he became the target of a smear campaign, including the creation of what he termed a “matrix” against him and his colleagues. More seriously, Acierto alleged that a bounty of 10-15 million pesos was placed on his head, forcing him into hiding.
When pressed by Representative Johnny Pimentel about the source of the alleged death threat, Acierto directly implicated former President Duterte and Senator Bong Go, claiming it was retaliation for his investigative report.
Senator Go has strongly refuted these allegations, dismissing them as “rehashed, perjured and baseless.” In a statement, Go claimed no prior knowledge of Acierto and suggested the accusations were politically motivated, citing the approaching elections. “We should not waste time on such baseless claims,” the senator stated, expressing disappointment that the Quad Committee was entertaining such allegations.
Supporting Go’s position, former PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva testified that there was insufficient evidence against Yang, stating that any case would fail to stand up in court.
The hearing proceeded without the presence of former President Duterte, who declined to attend for the second time despite being invited by the committee.
These revelations have reignited public discourse about the controversial war on drugs during Duterte’s presidency and raised questions about potential connections between political figures and narcotics trafficking in the Philippines.
The allegations remain under investigation by the House Quad Committee, with further hearings expected to delve deeper into these serious claims against the former administration.
