WATCH

Taguig councilor nabbed with drugs, allegedly stolen hotel goods

A Taguig City councilor was arrested in Parañaque after authorities found him in possession of 31 tablets of suspected ecstasy and several items he allegedly stole from a hotel room.

In a report on "24 Oras" by Dano Tingcungco on Saturday, the suspect was identified as Taguig City Councilor Richard Paul Jordan.

CCTV footage from Tuesday at around 7 p.m. showed Jordan entering a hotel elevator carrying a paper bag that was later found to contain a bathrobe, towels, an ash tray and an iPod speaker.

According to a spot report by the Parañaque police, the allegedly stolen items are worth more than P22,000.

The authorities also found two zip lock bags containing 31 tablets of suspected ecstasy in his sling bag.

"Thirty-one pieces po 'yung nakita sa kanya. Na-verify na po siya. Dadalhin na po natin 'yan sa'ting crime lab for a lab test at, initially, nag-positive 'yon," Parñaque police chief Senior Superintendent Leon Victor Rosete said.

As of the report on Saturday, the city councilor has undergone inquest proceedings for theft and drug possession without bail. He also faces raps for "malicious mischief" over the damaged carpeting in the hotel room.

Jordan refused to face the cameras but his legal counsel Neil Allan Rivera said he denies the allegations and is willing to face the charges to prove his innocence.

"As per my client, there is no truth to the unfounded allegations inordinately lodged against him," Rivera said in a statement.

"Even if you review his records as a public servant, anyone would see that he remains dedicated to the call of the administration to rid the country from illegal drugs," he added.

Meanwhile, the Taguig City government commended authorities for apprehending one of their councilors.

"We do not condone his conduct," their statement said.

"The law should be allowed to take its course, and we expect nothing less than the firm implementation of the government's hard line stance against illegal drugs," it added.

They lamented that Taguig City had topped the list of Southern Metro Manila cities with the highest number of drug peddlers.

The city government issued a message to those selling or using illegal drugs: "It’s not too late. We ask you to avail of our programs before the law catches up with you." — Margaret Claire Layug/DVM, GMA News