Ex-ES Paquito Ochoa denies blocking PDEA ops vs Marcos, Maricel Soriano

Former Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. on Monday categorically denied during a Senate hearing that he ordered to stop a 2012 Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) surveillance operation against then-senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and actress Maricel Soriano, among others.

Testifying during the fourth Senate public order and dangerous drugs committee hearing on the supposed "PDEA leaks," Ochoa said he does not know former PDEA deputy director general Carlos Gadapan, to whom he supposedly gave the order.

During the first hearing, former PDEA intelligence agent Jonathan Morales claimed that the supposed operation against Marcos and Soriano in 2012 did not push through because it was stopped by Gadapan. Morales said Gadapan told him not to conduct the operation because Ochoa ordered it.

Upon the questioning of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, chairperson of the committee, on Monday, Ochoa answered in the negative when asked if he personally knew Gadapan and if the information regarding Marcos and Soriano's alleged involvement in illegal drugs had reached his office.

Ochoa likewise answered "no" when asked if he had seen the alleged pre-operation document signed by Morales.

"As I earlier mentioned, I don’t even know him (Gadapan). And I don’t recall of any occasion that we have met or even talked. So I completely deny that I have made those instructions as alleged," Ochoa said.

Ochoa also told the committee that he did not know Morales and he has "absolutely no idea" why the former PDEA agent was implicating him in the halting of the supposed PDEA operation against Marcos and Soriano.

The former executive secretary also told the committee that he cannot recall that Morales was invited by the Law Enforcement Integrated Office (LESIO) of Malacañang for a briefing regarding PDEA operations, including the one against Marcos and Soriano.

"I cannot recall exactly if that indeed took place, but I only learned now when this hearing was conducted and I somehow, but very, very vaguely, if there was an incident that happened, but I'm not so sure -- because I was never informed of such meeting and even after that meeting there was no report submitted to me in regard to what transpired in that meeting," Ochoa said.

Insinuations

Before ending the questioning with Ochoa, Dela Rosa mentioned "insinuations" in social media that Ochoa supposedly ordered the halting of the operations because he was "influenced" by his former law firm partner and now First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.

"There were insinuations, ito naman ay insinuations lang, na kaya daw nagkaroon ka ng interest na ipahinto yung operations because again, you were influenced by your partner in the law firm. Those are some insinuations lang. So we want to hear from you about this," Dela Rosa said.

In response, Ochoa said, "That is not true, your honor."

Ochoa admitted that Mrs. Marcos was his partner at MOST (Marcos, Ochoa, Serapio and Tan) Law Firm, which he said they formed in 2006. However, he said he had to withdraw from the law firm when he was appointed executive secretary in 2010.

The supposed leaked PDEA pre-operation report dated March 11, 2012 indicated that "a group of showbiz and politically affluent personalities are frequently using illegal drugs" inside a condominium in Makati City.

In the previous hearing, Soriano confirmed that the condominium unit indicated in the supposed leaked document was hers but said she already sold it in 2012.

She likewise denied involvement in illegal drugs.

Marcos, meanwhile, just laughed off the issue and accused Morales of being a "professional liar." —KBK, GMA Integrated News