Senate panel cites ex-PDEA agent in contempt for ‘continuously lying’

Morales was dropped from the Philippine National Police roll and was disnmissed and suspended from service before joining PDEA. (File Photo: Avito Dalan/PNA)

MANILA – The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on Monday cited former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent Jonathan Morales in contempt for “continuously lying” before the panel.

The motion was made after Senator Jinggoy Estrada failed to get a concrete answer from Morales about his questionable personal data sheet (PDS) that he submitted when he applied in PDEA.

During the hearing, the senator was trying to get an admission from Morales that he misrepresented himself during his application for answering “no” to a PDS question if he was previously dishonorably discharged from service.

Morales was dropped from the Philippine National Police roll and was disnmissed and suspended from service before joining PDEA.

“Sinungaling talaga ito. Mr. Chair, tinanong ko kanina kung pirma niya ito and he already admitted na pirma niya ito. Kanina tinanong ko, is this your handwriting?

Ang sabi niya hindi niya maalala. Nung prinisent ko ulit itong PDS sa kanya, pinag-aralan niya, inamin niya na handwriting niya daw niya. Now he is denying na hindi niya sinagot itong isang question. Eh sino ang naglagay ng ‘no’? Multo (He is really a liar. Mr. Chair, I asked earlier if it was his signature and he already admitted that it was his signature. Earlier I asked, is this your handwriting? He said he couldn’t remember. When I presented this PDS to him again, he studied it, then he admitted that it was his handwriting. Now he is denying that he did not answer this one question. Who answered this ‘no’? Ä ghost)?” Estrada said.

Morales told Estrada to ask PDEA because the PDS record came from them which the senator did.

“I am not Jonathan Morales. We, PDEA, are not Jonathan Morales,” PDEA Compliance Service Director Ronnie Cudia replied.

“I move that he [Morales] be cited in contempt for continuously lying before this committee. Bring him down [the Senate Detention Facility]. Please instruct the sergeant-at-arms,” Estrada said.

His motion was seconded by panel chairperson Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa during the committee’s fourth public hearing on alleged “PDEA Leaks.

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Before Morales, dela Rosa also cited in contempt Eric Santiago, a former National Police Commission employee, for also being a “liar” before the panel.

Dela Rosa suspended the hearing, and decided not to schedule another one while waiting for the recovery of busnessman James Kumar, whose name was also dragged into the controversies surrounding the allegedly leaked PDEA documents.