Press Release
March 27, 2019

Gordon advises Acierto to come out and surrender

Senator Richard J. Gordon adivsed dismissed cop Eduardo Acierto, former deputy director for administration of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group (DEG), to come out of hiding and surrender. Acierto recently accused President Rodrigo Duterte and the Philippine National Police of ignoring an intelligence report that he submitted and blocking further probe into presidential economic adviser Michael Yang's alleged drug links.

Gordon stressed that if Acierto really had verified information to disclose and had no involvement in the smuggling of tons of shabu thru the Bureau of Customs, he should voluntarily surrender to the authorities and issue a sworn statement.

"Nagtatago siya... Bakit siya nagtatago? Dapat lumabas siya kung wala siyang kasalanan... Sumuko na lang siya. Sabi ko sabihin mo na sa publiko yang gusto mong sabihin kung gusto mong makatulong sa yo. Ayaw naman niya lumabas, di na nagpakita," he said, pointing out that Acierto only sullied his lengthy career by his involvement in shady deals such as the drug smuggling, the illegal selling of high-powered firearms, and the slaying of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo.

Gordon disclosed that, in an executive session requested by Acierto during the height of the Blue Ribbon Committee's investigation into the shabu smuggling, the dismissed cop mentioned Yang and showed a paper purportedly containing a diagram of the drug operations in the country of an international drug ring. The said meeting was joined by the Blue Ribbon Committee secretariat and various staff of the senator.

"Pinilit ko siyang lumabas pero wala siyang sinasabi. Ang sinasabi lang nya gusto daw niyang tumulong. Nagkaroon kami ng executive session, tapos nagbigay siya ng pangalan, si Michael Yang na tao daw ni Presidente. Wala naman siyang (Acierto) pinakitang eto ang ginawa niya (Yang) na kasalanan. Lahat ng sinabi niya walang ebidensya. Lahat ng aming napag-usapan nakalista, walang ebidensya yun dahil hearsay... Ano inabot nya e di nga pwedeng ebidensya?" he said.

The chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee added that he even asked Acierto turn into a state witness and be taken under the Witness Protection Program's wing, but he merely gave a lot of excuses and did not take Gordon up on his offer.

"Ang lagi lang niyang sinasabi e may nalalaman siya. Pero he wasn't specific, there was no concrete and supporting evidence to back up his allegations," he said, dismayed that Acierto and former PDEA deputy chief Ismael Fajardo remain at-large.

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