Acierto resurfaces, offers to testify vs Yang

MANILA, Philippines — After hiding for three years, former anti-narcotics operative Eduardo Acierto resurfaced yesterday in a video, challenging the Senate to publish the intelligence report he gave to government officials in 2018 wherein he linked President Duterte’s former economic adviser Michael Yang to the illegal drug trade.

Acierto said had the Senate and government officials not ignored his intelligence report, the alleged corruption involving Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp. would not have happened.

He also offered to testify against Yang at a Senate hearing into the Pharmally fiasco.

“I am sad because I went to the Senate before to expose my intelligence report. It’s such a waste of time because it wasn’t revealed to the public.  I was made to look like a drug protector in the Senate Blue Ribbon commitee’s report,” Acierto said in the video sent to news outfits.

Malacañang maintained that Acierto could not be trusted.

“The President disclosed during one of his talks to the nation that Acierto is a liar and we should not believe him,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

Sen. Richard Gordon dismissed Acierto’s claim that the alleged corruption involving Pharmally would not have happened had the Senate panel not blocked his report on Yang’s alleged links to illegal drugs.

“That is not accurate. No report or testimony was ever blocked from being displayed to the public,” Gordon, who chairs the committee, said.

Acierto also linked Allan Lim, said to be Yang’s friend and associated with other Pharmally personalities, as allegedly involved in illegal drugs. – Alexis Romero, Paolo Romero