NBI suspects Boratong had ties with MNLF

Suspected illegal drug den maintainer Amin Imam Boratong may have had connections with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) disclosed yesterday.

Head Agent Roel Bolivar, of the NBI-Reaction Arrest and Interdiction Division, said documents from the Department of Foreign Affairs showed that an MNLF member assisted Boratong in obtaining a passport in 2002.

That prompted the NBI to ask help from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in determining the extent of Boratong’s ties with the MNLF.

Bolivar said they want to know the extent of the support that Boratong might have given to the MNLF even though the government signed a peace agreement with the rebel group in 1996.

He said they considered the possibility that the 34-year-old Maranao might have given the MNLF funding for purchasing weapons.

The NBI received yesterday the documents that they have been requesting from the DFA since February. "We needed to get a sample of his thumbprint just in case he denies that he is Boratong. He has a sample thumbprint in his application for passport," Bolivar said.

Boratong reportedly applied for a passport in 2002, which remains valid until 2007.

He reportedly underwent plastic surgery in Thailand to conceal his true identity when he became a fugitive from justice. In February, police raided a shabu tiangge a few blocks from the Pasig City Hall allegedly run by Boratong. The proximity led police to be believe that Boratong had protectors. Twenty-one police officers tagged as his coddlers are currently facing investigation.

The NBI was surprised to see that a letter dated Feb. 26, 2002 showed that Boratong issued a special power of attorney authorizing Macalonto Comadug, of Marawi City, to get his passport from the DFA consular office in Cagayan de Oro.

Comadug even reportedly showed an MNLF identification card.

Boratong and his second wife Sheryl Morela are currently being detained at the NBI until a Pasig court determines where they should be held.

The Eastern Police District is already beefing up security measures in case Boratong is transferred there.

NBI operatives apprehended them last Nov. 21 in separate operations. Boratong, who reportedly earned P900 million from his illegal drug business, was hiding out on the 36th floor of the posh Salcedo Park Condominium Tower 2 along H.V. dela Costa St., Salcedo Village, Makati City for the past two months.

Boratong is one of the most wanted drug traffickers. According to the PNP, Boratong has allegedly been involved in the drug trade since 1997.

Boratong and Morela had bounties of P2 million and P300,000 for their arrest respectively.