Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos on Tuesday maintained that the CCTV footage "speaks for itself" and showed what really transpired in the alleged cover-up attempt of some police officials in the seizure of 990 kilos of shabu or crystal meth worth PHP 6.7 billion in October last year.
Abalos made the statement a day after PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. vehemently denied that there was a cover-up during the operation.
"In law, there is the principle of res ipsa loquitur. The thing speaks for itself," he said in a statement.
“While I respect General Azurin, I am sure he agrees with me that the public deserves to know the truth. Hindi lamang sa isyu ng 42 kilos kundi higit sa lahat sa kung ano ang nangyari sa 900 kilos na nakumpiska [This is not only about the issue of the 42 kilograms, but what happened to the 900 kilograms of shabu]," Abalos added.
In a press conference at Camp Crame on Monday, Azurin said the findings of the special task force created to look into the allegations of 'derailing the investigation' will prove the critics wrong. And while he admits to the possibility of illegal drugs infiltrating the police force, the PNP chief was also quick to defend the entanglement of his two generals in the controversy.
"Contrary to what many of our critics say, let me categorically say that there was no attempt to cover up or to exculpate [Mayo] from his involvement in the illegal drug operations," Azurin said.
The PNP chief also reminded the SILG and those involved to “focus on the real enemy, which is the shabu and the drug syndicates."
In October 2022, authorities arrested now-dismissed Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr. and confiscated 990 kilograms of shabu in Manila. Around 42 kilos of the confiscated drugs were allegedly stolen by some cops after the operation.
Abalos revealed the names of 10 police officers allegedly involved in the alleged shabu cover-up as seen in a series of CCTV footage last April 10.
