Thursday, October 02, 2008 (Philippines)

Two aspects of the order have kicked up more confusion: (1) the persons addressed by the order and (2) the person who signed the order. Someone else signed for the PASG chief. PASG-Cebu chief Ariel Palcuto is suspicious but doesn’t give details of the suspicion. Still, document doesn’t mention PASG-Cebu, a big “why.” THE chief of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG)-Cebu accused an officer of the National Bureau of Investigation 7 of lying when he said that Monday night’s incident was merely a result of the NBI implementing an order from PASG Chief Antonio Villar Jr. PASG-Cebu Chief Ariel Palcuto said that when he reviewed Mission Order 0343-2008, dated Sept. 26, this was addressed not to the NBI 7 but to the team leader, Atty. Edmundo T. Arugay, Director Guillermo Pedro A. Francia IV, Jovellano L. Templo and Rolando Sanchez. Arugay is PASG operations chief in Manila, while Francia is the PASG director. [full story]