Metro Manila, Philippines — Lawmakers grilled former Presidential Task Force on Media Security Executive Director Paul Gutierrez for allegedly concealing the truth in billions of pesos in illegal drug shipment.
During the House quad committee hearing on illegal drugs on Thursday, Nov. 7, former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban reiterated his testimony that Gutierrez threatened him against dragging Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte, Second Gentleman Mans Carpio, businessman Michael Yang, and former Environment Undersecretary Benny Antiporda in the 2018 shipment.
House members backtracked on what transpired.
In 2018, Guban was detained in the Senate amid the Blue Ribbon committee inquiry on illegal drugs.
“He [Gutierrez] threatened me na ‘pag binanggit ko ang pangalan… mapapadali – mamamatay kaagad ako, kasama ang pamilya ko,” Guban recalled. “At may kasama po ‘yan – hindi po guard – empleyado ng Blue Ribbon na babae kaya ko nga po ako binuksan dahil ‘yun ang kumatok sa pinto.”
[Translation: He threatened me that if I mentioned names, I would be killed, including my family. He was with someone, not a guard, but a female employee of the Blue Ribbon that’s why I opened the door.]
Gutierrez, a journalist at the time, denied making a threat.
“Tinanong ko si Mr. Guban kumusta ba ang kanyang pakiramdam at naitanong ko rin sa kanya – at ito naman ay napatunayan ng mga sumunod na pangyayari – ano ang gagawin niya sakaling siya po ang ilaglag ni Mr. Acierto,” he countered.
[Translation: I asked Mr. Guban how he was feeling and I asked him – and this was proven – what he would do if Mr. Acierto implicated him.]
Dismissed PCol Eduardo Acierto had claimed that former President Rodrigo Duterte protected Yang.
Lawmakers, however, did not buy Gutierrez’s defense.
“Ikaw ba ang doktor ng Senado? Bakit sasabihin mo du’n you wanted to see the health condition of Mr. Guban?” Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel said. “There is a deeper reason. There is a more compelling reason why you went to the room of Mr. Jimmy Guban, and the main reason for that is you threatened him to remain silent.”
[Translation: Are you the Senate’s doctor? Why would you say you wanted to see the health condition of Mr. Guban?]
“You’re being absurd, Mr. Gutierrez… You would not do that to seek a one-on-one interview just to simply ask the person, ‘Kamusta ka?’ (How are you) for several minutes,” Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Adiong said.
Meanwhile, Acierto said Antiporda ordered him to tell Guban to not tag a certain Charlie Tan in the illegal drug shipment.
Antiporda denied the claim, saying he does not know any Charlie Tan.
The committee issued a show cause order to Charlie Tan.
No coercion
In the same inquiry, Batangas 2nd District Rep. Jinky Luistro said that they received a statement from lawyers of PCol Royina Garma (ret.), which cleared quad committee chairmen Santa Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez and Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante from coercion.
In a Senate probe, PCol Hector Grijaldo said Abante and Fernandez coerced him to sign an affidavit, confirming Garma’s remark that drug war killings are rewarded.
“At no point did any of the congressmen attempt to pressure Mr. Grijaldo into conforming to a predetermined narrative,” lawyers Emerito Quilang and Rotciv Cumigad, who were present during the meeting, said in a joint statement.
“The discussions taking place were cordial and respectful,” they added.
The committee was on its tenth round of investigation into Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.
