CUSTOMS broker Mark Taguba II on Tuesday identified Davao City Councilor Nilo "Small" Abellera as the guy who received P5-million protection money from him on behalf of the co-called Davao group.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV showed Abellera's photo in Tuesday's Senate blue ribbon committee probe into the illegal drug shipment from China that entered the Manila port last May.
Taguba, the middleman who facilitated the release of P6.4 billion worth of drug shipment from China through the Bureau of Customs (BOC), said P5 million "tuition fee" is reportedly the fee required for Taguba to get protection from the Davao Group.
Taguba said the people behind the Davao group includes Abellera and a certain Jack and Tita Nani but he said that there were other personalities who were part of the group believed to be in cahoots with unscrupulous businessmen.
He said that it was Jojo Bacud who introduced him to Tita Nani, who later on introduced him to a certain Jack and Abellera.
Taguba said the Davao group is allegedly engaged in the facilitation of shipments out of the BOC.
He revealed that it was Jack, the alleged representative of Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, who asked for the P5 million payment.
Taguba said that he gave the money to them when he went to Davao City to supposedly meet Duterte and after his meeting with Abellera.
"P5 million ang naging tuition fee ko para makapasok sa grupo nila Small (Abellera) at para personal ko na makilala si Paolo Duterte. Sa Marco Polo ako nag stay sa Davao City. Dinala ako ni Jack sa isang restaurant at dinala niya ako kay Small Abellera kung saan nag abot ako ng P5 million," Taguba said.
He presented a text message supposedly sent by Tita Nani regarding the said negotiation and his scheduled meeting with the Presidential son.
At the same time, Taguba admitted he was giving Jack the P10,000 per container every Friday.
After that particular negotiation, Taguba said his entry using the BOC's greenlane has been accommodated and customs releases became very fast. Everything went well and the flow of business became efficient, he said.
"After ng negosasyon ko sa kanila nag clear lahat ng pasok namin at hindi na kami na tag na alert," Taguba said as he revealed that it was a certain Mike Saban who put everything on an alert mode after a drunken brawl with his father.
Saban was identified by lawyer Teresa Anderson of BOC Human Resource as an employee assigned in the Intelligence Group of the BOC and not as BOC commissioner's technical assistant earlier claimed by Taguba.
Senate blue ribbon chair Richard Gordon said Jojo Bacud who was allegedly connected to BOC's Special Studies and Project Development Committee (SSPDC) was instrumental in the meeting between Taguba and Tita Nani.
The committee found out that Abellera, Tita Nani and Jack are not officials in the BOC but had been invoking the Davao Group to facilitate broker transactions in the bureau.
Trillanes insisted that the individuals mentioned by Taguba must come forward and appear in the next Senate hearing in order to unmask who is the powerful hand behind the so-called Davao group.
The senator said that the necessary charges should be filed against these people now that Taguba was able to identify Abellera.
"Si Small Abellera ang magiging tulay natin para malaman sino si Tita Nani, si Jack at kung sino ang mga kamay na nasa likod ng Davao Group na ito," Trillanes said as he asked that the Senate blue ribbon committee to summon these people to testify in the hearing.
Gordon, who spearheads the probe, said the green lane in the BOC is now the gateway for illegal drugs entering the country.
He then challenged both National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to kill the entry point.
"Dapat isara niyo ang gripo dahil kahit mapatay niyo ang napakaraming adik ay hindi hihinto ang pagpasok niyan at dadami pa biktima," Gordon said during the hearing.
Gordon said he would want a lifestyle check of personalities implicated in the entry of illegal drugs from China, including BOC officials.
Gordon said he will not dwell on Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon for the sake of fair play considering that he cannot defend himself and cannot answer any accusations hurled against him.
Faeldon was officially replaced by PDEA Director Isidro Lapena this week. (SunStar Philippines)