FORMER PDEA agent Jonathan Morales revealed on SMNI News that Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s actions during PDEA leaks investigation were merely aimed at tarnishing his reputation rather than addressing the real issue.
“I would say he doesn’t know how to conduct an investigation. [It’s] a waste of taxpayers’ money on him,” said Jonathan Morales, Former PDEA Agent.
These were the words of former PDEA agent Jonathan Morales in an exclusive interview with SMNI News after Sen. Jinggoy Estrada questioned him during the recent public hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs.
During the said hearing, Senator Estrada repeatedly mentioned Morales’ background in relation to his service in the national police and how he entered the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
“Let me invite you to who you are you are admitted to the PNP when? 1993 your honor, exact date,” said Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Republic of the Philippines.
“According to the information that I received you were dropped from the PNP on april 25 1994,” Estrada added.
According to Morales, Senator Estrada did not gather any useful information related to the real issue of why documents from the PDEA were leaked to the public, which implicates President Bongbong Marcos to illegal drug use.
“That’s not how investigation works. When I investigate, do I scold the person I’m investigating? I won’t get any substance even if it’s a murderer, a thief, or even a rapist. How can I extract information if I do that? I won’t get anything, right?” Morales added.
Morales emphasized that he went to the Senate as a resource person and not as a suspect of a crime.
“I’m a resource person. First of all, I want to clarify, am I accused? Am I a suspect? Right? I was there as a resource person regarding the PDEA leaks. Why was I called? Because of those documents that came out,” Morales expressed.
The former PDEA agent added that if he intended to discredit the president, then he could have done it when Marcos Jr was still a presidential candidate during the 2022 elections.
“If I wanted to just discredit or whatever, I would have done it in 2016 to various people or to his political opponents. Why didn’t I do it because I’m not like that, and all the information is left in the investigation service of the PDEA that they keep denying exists,” he said.
Morales also clarified that he has not been jailed regarding the allegations against him.
He explained that as a law enforcer, it’s normal to have a case because they inevitably clash with individuals while enforcing the law.
“I don’t have a conviction. The truth is, as a law enforcer, it’s normal for us to have a case if not death, that’s the only choice you really have, either you enforce the law or you don’t and in enforcing the law, you naturally upset someone,” he added
Regarding Senator Jinggoy’s statement that he is not trustworthy, here’s what the former PDEA Agent had to say.
“If you’re a politician, you should really be clean. What Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said that someone like me has no right because I shouldn’t be trusted, he said, “this person has so many cases, various cases.” But he’s not saying that I won in the case or I was acquitted, right? The question is who between us should be trusted? The one with cases? Or the one already convicted by the court?” Morales stated.
Morales also countered Senator Jinggoy’s assertion that the issues he brought to the Senate were merely “hearsay.”
According to Morales, there’s a difference between following orders and hearsay, explaining that the reason the operation to arrest Bongbong Marcos did not push through was because he was following orders from his superiors, not just hearsay.
“When I talked to my official and that’s what he said, he said “do you believe that?” What did he want me to believe the janitor? But my resource person was with the number 3 man of the PDEA, Asst. Sec Deputy Director General for Operation. Would I not believe him? That’s not hearsay, that’s true. I spoke directly to the Sec Deputy Director General for Operation, and what he said, we followed because he was trusted by the president, appointed by the president,” he said.
Morales said that what Senator Jinggoy should have done in the Senate probe was to verify the authenticity of the leaked documents.
Because the said documents are being denied by the PDEA itself, as the current head of the agency was appointed by the president and is also the subject of the investigation.
“Evidence should be authenticated — who wrote it or signed it. What they’re denying here are the authority to operate and the pre ops, I made those, I said I conducted the investigation. I’m the one who conducted it. They’re just denying it, you know why? because the appointment of General Lazo was made by the sitting president. That’s him,” Morales expressed.
Because of what transpired and the style of questioning he faced in the Senate, Morales admitted to feeling afraid.
“That’s his opinion. Maybe that’s really the extent of his understanding as a politician. They say he’s elected by the people, if that’s the extent of the thinking of an elected official, it’s scary,” Morales said.
In conclusion, Morales stated that Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s true intention was simply to discredit him.
“First, I really noticed that it’s already character assassination he did, and he really had nothing else to do but to crush, to crush, to crush, to crush my character,” Morales added.
