Malacanang photo of Pres. Duterte’s first family at his inauguration June 30, 2016. Presidential son-in-law Atty. Manases Carpio is at extreme left and presidential son Paolo, second from the right.
The saying “A fish is caught by its mouth” applies to President Duterte on the issue of the alleged involvement of his son, Davao City Mayor Paolo Duterte, and his son-in-law, Atty. Manases Carpio in the release without inspection by the Bureau of Customs of a shipment containing 604 kilos of shabu worth P6.2 billion last May.
Duterte told reporters Sunday, “Ang advice ko kay Pulong? Punta ka doon. And then pagdating mo, dun sa questions, sabihin mo, ‘I will not answer you.’ I’m invoking my right of silence kasi noong eleksyon pa, hindi pa Presidente tatay ko, binibira mo na kami. So if you want evidence, do not get it from the mouth of other people. Go somewhere else.”
26-year old customs broker Mark Taguba at the Senate hearing Aug. 31.
Last Friday, 26-year old customs broker Mark Taguba, through lawyer Raymond Fortun, released the following statement:
“I have been informed of the circulation of fake news that have been deviously spread on social media relative to my testimony at the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing of the Philippine Senate yesterday (31st august 2017).
“I wish to categorically make it clear that:
1) I had never testified, nor will I ever testify that Vice-Mayor Paolo Dterte and/or Atty. Manse Crpio were involved in the shipment of illegal drugs into the country. Neither have i testified, nor will I ever testify that the aforementioned individuals were involved in the “tara system” that was in-place at the Bureau of Customs.
2) The names of Vice-Mayor Duterte and/or Atty. Manases Carpio were merely mentioned by the “Davao group” whose direct contacts to me were ‘Tita nannie’ and ‘Jack’. As I had repeatedly stated before Congress and the Senate, the alleged involvement of the aforementioned individuals are hearsay in nature.
3) At no time have I met either Vice-Mayor Dterte or Atty. Carpio in person, much less discuss any illegal transaction at the bureau of customs with them.
4) To this day, I contest that the container that my company caused to be released on May 24,2017 contained the 605 kilograms of shabu. As I have repeatedly testified, the contents of the container (otherwise known as the “packing list”) which was duly certified to be correct by the port of Xiamen under the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement will reflect that it only contained general household items and not the five (5) cylinders where the shabu was discovered.
“I am making this statement to clear Vice-mayor Paolo Duterte and Atty. Manse Carpio from any involvement in the shipment of illegal drugs into the country, and any anomalies in the Bureau of Customs. I also hereby apologize to Vice-Mayor Duterte, Atty. Carpio and to the first family for the proliferation of fake news arising out of my testimony at the senate yesterday.”
