Former Bureau of Customs (BOC) Intelligence Officer Jimmy Guban, facing charges of drug importation, alleged he was a victim of the "Davao mafia" during the House quad-committee’s tenth public hearing on Thursday.
Guban grew emotional as he reflected on seeing former Police Col. Eduardo Acierto again during the hearing via video conference, marking their first encounter in years.
He expressed feeling a mix of joy and anger over the fact that both he and Acierto are still alive, adding that he is thankful to God for it.
"Hindi ho dahil sa pagkanulo. Kung ‘di dahil sa sindakato sa mafia ng Davao, na kami ang biktima," Guban firmly said.
"Dalawa rin [tauhan] ang namatay sa akin, sa kanya ilan ang namatay, dahil po dyan sa Davao Mafia and their purpose to save the queen in order to become the next president. That is how ganon nila ginawa. Lahat patayan," he added.
He didn’t provide further details on the 'queen' he was referring to, explaining that he couldn’t reveal this information immediately due to security concerns.
According to Guban, their group gave their best to serve the country. However, the outcome led to a bounty being placed on Acierto’s head, while he himself is now detained in the National Bilibid Prison.
Acierto's message to Guban
Meanwhile, Acierto expressed his gratitude to Guban for bringing to light the truth behind the case connected to their group.
"Unang-una po, talaga pong hindi na kami nakapag-usap ni Jimmy Guban. Hindi ko po siya nakakausap at ako po’y nagpapasalamat sa kanya dahil sinabi niya ‘yung totoo, kung ano talaga ‘yung nangyari," said Acierto.
"Wala po akong galit sa kanya dahil alam ko naman ho pareho kaming biktima," he added.
He said that Guban stood by him in revealing the truth. Despite this, he felt a sense of resentment at the time, but he no longer holds onto it.
"Sabi ko nga sa’yo noon, tayo’y nagtrabaho lang tao, Kaso ang nabangga natin ay napakataas, presidente ng Pilipinas," he told Guban.
Acierto has been in hiding for over six years since Guban linked him to a shipment at the Manila International Container Port in August 2018, where two magnetic lifters were discovered to contain ₱6.8 billion worth of shabu.
In the same year, Guban disclosed his revelation during a hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
However, when he appeared at the House hearing in August, Guban retracted his statements and admitted that he had been threatened into making them.
He then implicated Davao City Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte, Atty. Mans Carpio, and Michael Yang as the people behind the shabu shipment in question.
