MANILA - The Liberal Party denied Wednesday that it was behind the surfacing of a former police official who linked President Rodrigo Duterte's former economic adviser to the narcotics trade.

This after Duterte claimed Tuesday that Eduardo Acierto, a former anti-drug police officer, was being used by members of the opposition, whom he labeled as "yellows," in reference to the color associated with LP.

"Gawa-gawa lang 'yan at hindi totoo," LP president Sen. Francis Pangilinan said in a statement.

(That's just fabricated and not true.)

He said the administration should instead explain why no drug trafficker or official has been held accountable for several drug shipments that had slipped past Customs inspections.

"Ang hindi gawa-gawa na dapat ipaliwanag ng Malacañang ay bakit walang mga drug lords na napaparusahan sa paulit-ulit na pagpuslit ng tone-teneladang shabu sa Customs at 'yung mga opisyal na sangkot sa halip na kasuhan ay promoted pa?" he added.

(What's not fabricated that Malacañang should explain is why there are no drug lords that have been punished because of their continuous smuggling of tons of shabu through Customs and why officials are promoted instead of facing complaints.)

Multibillion-peso drug hauls had slipped past Customs inspections under the leadership of former commissioners Isidro Lapeña and Nicanor Faeldon. Both have since been reassigned to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Corrections bureau, respectively.

Those behind the shipments, meanwhile, have not been prosecuted.

• ‘Nalusutan lang’: Duterte defends ex-Customs chiefs Lapeña, Faeldon

In revelations on Monday, Acierto claimed that his superiors ignored his 2017 report detailing the drug dealings of Duterte's former adviser, Chinese national Michael Yang. This, he said, led him to conclude that the President tolerates Yang’s alleged illicit activities.

In a speech a day after Acierto’s revelations, Duterte told the public not to believe the former policeman, noting the latter was dismissed for his involvement in the anomalous issuance of 1,004 rifles, which ended in the hands of communist rebels.

Acierto had also been himself tagged in the drug trade. Malacañang said Tuesday he was out for revenge.

• Duterte blasts ex-cop who linked Chinese adviser to illegal drugs

MAKE PUBLIC INFO VS YANG

LP stalwart Sen. Leila De Lima, currently detained on drug charges she has called political persecution, on Wednesday urged Acierto to make public his intelligence report about Yang.

“The intel report of Acierto, if publicized and verified, will raise questions as to Duterte’s real involvement in the drug trade in the country," the De Lima said in a statement.

"Kasi kung malinis talaga si Mr. Duterte, bakit naduduwag siyang paimbestigahan si Yang at ang kasabwat nito? Nakikinabang ba siya sa ‘drug business’ o siya ba ang totoong mastermind,” she added.

(If Mr. Duterte is really clean, why is he afraid to have Yang and his cohorts investigated? Is he benefiting from the drug business or is he the true mastermind?)

She said Duterte, three years into his anti-narcotics campaign, "still failed to apprehend big-time drug users and pushers who continue to profit from illegal activities, while he persistently targets the poor."

"Ito nga kaya ay dahil si Pangulong Duterte mismo ang Number 1 drug lord o protector ng mga drug lords sa bansa?” she said.

(Is this because President Duterte himself is the number 1 drug lord or protector of the drug lords in the country?)

In October last year, Duterte cleared Yang of any involvement in the illegal drug trade and said Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua vouched for the businessman's integrity.

Around the same month, he ordered the release of a dossier linking Acierto and other former police officials to the illegal drug trade.

In his speech on Tuesday evening, Duterte again said Yang was a plain businessman and that the latter's supposed association with high-ranking Chinese officials, including Premier Wang Yi, should speak volumes about his integrity.

Malacañang also said Tuesday that Yang's term as Duterte's adviser had ended in December.

• Palace: Chinese trader Yang no longer Duterte's adviser