Police officer links Lacson to drugs

A police officer, who was eased out from the government’s Witness Protection Program, came out in the open yesterday and accused Senator Panfilo Lacson of alleged drug-trafficking during his stint as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Police Officer 1 Jonathan Morales, also known as Agent Morris and a former operative of the Narcotics Group, also expressed disappointment over his removal from the justice department’s Witness Protection Program.

"I now fear for my life... but I stand by my affidavit that Lacson was involved in illegal drug activities," he told reporters.

Former anti-narcotics agent Mary Ong and Morales were among the witnesses tapped by the government in its anti-narco politics campaign.

He was supposed to be the last witness to be presented by Col. Victor Corpus, chief of Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), until the Senate probe on Lacson’s alleged drug activities ended last year.

Morales said he executed his affidavit on Sept. 24 last year before being accepted into the Department of Justice’s Witness Protection Program. – Christina Mendez

He lamented that he was "neglected" by the government for the past three months until he was finally eased out as a government witness. "My children had to stop attending school because of this," Morales said.

Morales claimed he was "sacked" from the program because Justice Secretary Hernando Perez suspected him of revealing the location of the safehouses of witnesses.

In his statement, Morales claimed he was utilized as "drug courier" during Lacson’s term as PNP chief and head of the controversy-laden Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF).

As one of his tasks, he added that he was ordered to execute one Boyet Melendrez, an alleged leader of a robbery group composed of retired and active police personnel.

Meanwhile, earlier Ong expressed concern that she would also be removed from government protection.

Apart from Morales, Ong revealed last Monday that two other witnesses against Lacson have been removed from the witness protection program. — Christina Mendez