Ex-Customs officer linking Paolo Duterte, others to drug smuggling not yet a state witness

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker said that the former Bureau of Customs security officer, who implicated Davao City Rep. Paolo “Polong” Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, Manases Carpio, in drug smuggling, is not yet considered a state witness.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers made this clear on Saturday, underscoring that the burden of proof is with Jimmy Guban.

“He has to substantiate his statements with hard evidence … We just allowed Mr. Guban to speak and whatever value he has, it will still be weighed by the committee,” Barbers told The STAR.

Barbers heads the House committee on dangerous drugs which is part of the quad committee created to investigate the links between extra-judicial killing, illegal drugs, Chinese criminal syndidates and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

Duterte denied knowing Guban and questioned his credibility as a witness.

According to Barbers, Guban earlier submitted an affidavit to the panel but they did not pay attention to it because it was unsigned.

Guban sent them a letter offering information about illegal drug activities in the country, including those involving Chinese businessman Michael Yang.

Yang is being investigated by Barber’s panel as he co-owned Emire 999 Realty Corp., which owns a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga where police siezed P3.6 billion worth of shabu in September 2023.

Barbers said Guban submitted another affidavit when they were already in Pampanga for the hearing.

“We gave him a chance to talk because he said he had information about Michael Yang. That was our target and then he said so many things already,” the Surigao del Norte lawmaker said.

Barbers noted the quad committee does not take Guban’s testimony “hook, (line) and sinker” but the panel appreciates all witnesses’ testimonies.

He added the panel is still studying whether it would invite the former president and Paolo to their hearings.

He also emphasized that there is no politics in whatever the quad committee is doing, as the panel’s only goal is to eliminate the ills of society.

“This is a unprecedented and historic committee with very clear objective of what it will do. We don’t want the efforts of the House to be put to waste, meaning politics is not involved here,” Barbers said.