PDEA says tipsters may get up to P2 million reward, but not illegal drugs

MANILA — Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Moro Virgilio Lazo on Thursday insisted that informants could only get monetary reward and not a portion of seized drugs.

Lazo said tipsters could get as high as P2 million for providing information that would lead to the confiscation of illegal drugs and arrest of suspects.

“[Monetary reward] lang ang authorized by law eh. Kaya sinabi ko sa kanila na hindi puwede. Sinabi ko sa kanila na, ‘Sa akin, hindi puwede. ‘Yung monetary reward lang ang kaya kong ibigay sa inyo,’” Lazo said.

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“During my watch, sabi ko, hindi ako papayag diyan sa kalakaran or sa scheme na iyan,” he told reporters at the sidelines of the destruction of P19.9-billion worth of illegal drugs in Trece Martires, Cavite.

(The law only authorizes monetary reward. I told them, 'I can only give you monetary reward.' During my watch, I will not agree to that scheme.)

• PDEA says P19.9 billion worth of seized narcotics destroyed

He said he earlier met with “more than two” informants who revealed that they were seeking a 30-percent “cut” from seized drugs as their “reward” for providing tips for anti-illegal drug operations.

He said he was trying to contact the informants again to convince them to identify the law enforcers who agreed to the supposed scheme.

“’Yun nga po ‘yung kautusan sa Senado, ni Sen. [Ronald] dela Rosa po na kausapin ko sila para kung willing man sila na i-divulge ‘yung pangalan ng mga law enforcers na pumayag doon sa scheme,” Lazo said.

(That's the order of the Senate, of Sen. Dela Rosa, for me to find out if they are willing to divulge the names of the law enforcers who agreed to the scheme.)

Lazo clarified that the tipsters identified themselves as “informants of law enforcement agencies involved in drugs,” and not necessarily of PDEA agents.

Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission said there should be thorough investigation on the revelation.

“Umaayon ako na mali talaga ‘yung giving 30 percent [ng droga] and kailangan talaga magkaroon ng masusing imbestigasyon, kagaya ng ginagawa ng Senado at ng Congress natin... Hindi naman masamang magbigay ng reward sa mga impormante, but hindi drugs, and it should be properly documented,” said Cruz.

(I agree that it is wrong to give 30 percent of the drug haul and there should be a thorough investigation like the ongoing probe of our Senate and Congress. Perhaps it's not bad to reward informants, but it shouldn't be drugs, and it should be properly documented.)

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