P.Noy grants amnesty to PDEA-8 head

PALO, LEYTE, Philippines  — Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-8 regional director Julius Navales yesterday confirmed that President Benigno "P.Noy" Aguino III has finally approved the amnesty application he filed last week.

Also granted amnesty were nine other PDEA-8 agents who, like him, were former members of the so-called "Magdalo" soldiers who were involved in the Manila Peninsula Hotel "mutiny" in 2007.

Navales told The Freeman that he and his co-"mutineers" were granted the amnesty and are scheduled to take their oath of allegiance to the government on January 28.

Navales said: "I am happy for this new development that President Aquino granted us amnesty. No regrets at all on what we did; may mga significant changes naman na nangyari sa Armed Forces of the Philippines at sa gobyerno lalo na, as I would like to emphasize, na wala din naman ako hinanakit sa gobyerno natin. ... Let's also give P.noy a chance to prove that he could walk and talk tungo sa matuwid na landas. I personally thanked him for giving us this great, great chance dahil dito sa amnesty."

The PDEA-8 official filed for an amnesty at the Department of National Defense in January 6, along with his nine officers: Ronaldo Allan Ricardo, Lexington Alonzo, Jigger Montallana, Bryan Babang, Joel Plaza, Emerson Rosales, Emerson Margate and Archie Grande.

They were among the 321 soldier-rebels, headed by Senator Antonio Trillanes, who participated in several uprisings against then President Gloria Arroyo due to alleged corruption of her administration.

The Magdalo group staged but failed in the mutiny at Oakwood in Makati City in 2003 and the seige of the Manila Pen in 2007.

Navales was himself imprisoned for more than four years but was freed in March 2009 when he was appointed head of PDEA-Eastern Visayas or Region 8.

Since then, one of his major accomplishments on the job was the recovery of close to 600 kilograms of cocaine in Northern and Eastern Samar provinces from December 2009 towards the early part of 2010.

Navales meanwhile dismissed reports that the PDEA central office has ordered him to step down from his regional post. "So far I have not yet received any relieve order. I don't know where that information came from," he said. (FREEMAN)