A member of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary has been tagged as the direct contact of the alleged mastermind in the foiled shipment of some P5.34 billion worth of shabu in looking for a chartered flight from Laos to the Philippines.
During the Senate Committee on Public Services hearing on Wednesday, Police Col. Joselito Esico, the deputy director for operations of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said that based on their investigation, one Col. Rudy Isidro, a member of the PCG Auxiliary, was the supposed direct contact of Sultan Edrieza “Nasser” Rimbang to charter a flight from Laos to the Philippines to ship the 521 kilos of shabu.
Esico said Isidro is in his 70s.
“Based doon sa affidavit na sinambit niya sir, based doon sa investigation namin, kausap nito si Rimbang talaga, sir, yung POI (person of interest) natin dito sa Lao case. Siya yung direct na kausap ni Rimbang,” Esico told Sen. Raffy Tulfo, panel chairman.
Esico said Isidro and a certain Aldren Samante managed to contact Police Executive Master Sergeant Aileen Mendoza, of the PNP Aviation Security Group, to ask her to look for a chartered plane to bring vape products and cigarettes from Laos to the country.
“Ni-narrate niya yung participation niya…yung communication nila with PEMS Mendoza and kung…sino yung nagpapahanap ng chartered flight…With regards sa chartered flight and yung importation ng vape products. Pero walang na-mention na illegal drugs, sir,” Esico also said.
He said it will only be Rimbang who can confirm if he really knew that the shipment will be shabu, and not vape products or cigarettes.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) deputy director general for administration Israel Ephraim Dickson said their agency is still verifying the information.
“Actually, just yesterday (Tuesday), the PNP and the PDEA conducted a joint investigation with regard to this matter and we’re just confirming everything,” Dickson said.
Asked by Tulfo if Isidro will be included in those who will be charged in connection with the foiled shabu shipment, Dickson said: “It’s still subject for further investigation.”
Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla, of the PCG, said he will have Isidro’s real identity checked by his men as it was the first time that he heard of him.
Mendoza, who spoke to Tulfo via teleconferencing, said she met Samante in a gathering which she cannot recall the date anymore, who later contacted her to look for a private plane that can bring vape products and cigarettes from Laos to the Philippines.
She said Samante is a jeweler from Cavite and Bulacan.
“Mula po noon nagtatawagan po kami kapag may ibinebenta siya alahas,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza said it was last September 15 that she met with Samante in a parking lot in the airport where he introduced her to Isidro.
“Ipinakilala lang po niya sa akin si Col. Isidro. Dahil colonel po ang pagkakakilala sa kanya, nagpakita po ako ng paggalang. Hindi ko na po siya hiningan ng anuman identification,” Mendoza also said.
“Naghahanap na po talaga sila ng chartered flight o private jet. Dahil hindi po sila makahanap ng available na chartered flight, ako na po ang nilapitan niya tungkol dito. Sa paghahanap ko po, natagpuan ko ang ALS Aviation na pag-aari ni Capt. Toledo,” Mendoza added.
She said she has no other participation in the shipment except to find a chartered flight for Samante and Isidro.
“Ibinigay sa akin ni Capt. Toledo ang kontrata para sa flight na nakatakda sana nung Setyembre 30. Nang sabihin niya nakansela ang flight at ililipat sa October 3, iyon na po ang huling naging transaksiyon ko. Wala na po akong naging partisipasyon sa iba pang sinasabing facilitation, kabilang ang mga prosesong may kinalaman sa CIQ. Hindi rin po ako maaaring maki-alam sa tungkulin ng mga kinauukulang opisyal…Hanggang doon lamang po ang naging transaksiyon ko. Wala na po akong naging ibang transaksiyon pagkatapos noon,” Mendoza also said.
Mendoza said it was the first time she looked for a chartered flight for someone since it is not her task as member of the AvSecGroup to find one.
Had the shipment not been foiled, she said that the welcoming party would be handled by the private plane’s ground handlers subject to coordination with the AvSecGroup and relevant airport authorities.
Tulfo said concerned agencies must dig deeper into this case as he believes that there are more people involved in the foiled shipment.
Also during the hearing, Tulfo ordered the issuance of a show cause order against Lalamove to require the delivery and logistics platform to explain why it should not be cited for contempt for repeatedly failing to attend the committee hearing.
Lalamove was invited by the committee to address its drivers’ concerns regarding welfare and compensation, and the security of items it handles.
“Send a show cause order to them whey they should not cited in contempt. Because this is the third time palaging nag-i-snub sa hearing itong mga taga Lalamove. I don’t know kung anong meron sa utak nila bakit nila ini-snub itong mga hearing three times in a row,” Tulfo said.
He said failure to attend in the next hearing, which has yet to be scheduled, will compel him to issue a subpoena against Lalamove. If still ignored, he said he will request the issuance of an arrest warrant from the Senate leadership against the owners of the company themselves.