THE ALABANG BOYS

They are the Alabang Boys, alleged drug users and drug dealers, caught
by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) during an
entrapment operation on September 20, 2008. Their case became headline
material thanks to a two-week-long holiday during which there was a
news drought. Fighting illegal drugs is one of the most difficult jobs
and one of the most dangerous. In Mexico, enforcers are routinely
murdered by drug lords.

The Philippines ranks first in the percentage of the population aged
15 to 64 as having used shabu or methamphetamine. A 2004 Dangerous
Drugs Board survey found 6.7 million drug users in the country.

The Philippine Star broke the Alabang Boys story on Dec. 23, 2008 but
it was the Philippine Daily Inquirer which saw its large potential as
a campaign story. Apparently, P50 million was offered to Department of
Justice (DOJ) prosecutors in return for the dismissal of the case and
the release of the three, two or three days before Christmas. The DOJ
people, of course, deny receiving any bribe.

Richard Santos Brodett, Jorge Jordana Joseph and Joseph Ramirez Tecson
are the most high profile drug suspects to be arrested by the PDEA
after a season in which a number of drug lords, some of them with
mono-syllabic names, got away scot free, thanks to the Justice
department and some influential politicians.

The trio are called Alabang Boys because the drug entrapment took
place inside snooty Ayala Alabang Village, 22 kilometers south of
Manila. A PDEA agent was attempting to buy drugs from Joseph who was
assisted allegedly by Brodett who was inside a car a short distance
away.

To his credit, Brodett sensed the setup right away and tried to speed
away. PDEA agents gave chase, firing about seven shots at Brodett's
car. Miraculously Brodett ducked the fatal bullets. "He knew how to
drive even while hiding his head and being chased by enforcers," a
PDEA agent told me. Otherwise, Brodett would have been dead by now.
This shows how determined the PDEA is in pursuing this case. Tecson
was arrested a few hours later in another operation, thanks to
information gathered from Joseph.

There were a number of PDEA agents involved in the chase and I am told
even the Ayala Alabang guards tried to interfere. The Senate should
also look into the possibility of inviting the Alabang guards at the
time of the incident for any corroborative narrative.

The Alabang Boys are now the subject of a tug-of-war between the PDEA
and prosecutors and officials of the Department of Justice under
Secretary Raul Gonzalez. The boys are said to be scions of
influential, if not hugely wealthy parents, relatives and backers. A
parent of one of the Alabang suspects is supposed to be behind a
lucrative government contract having to do with running (not of humans).

Secretary Gonzalez sneers at the so-called P50-million bribe offer or
outright bribe to DOJ prosecutors in return for the dismissal of the
case. "That means they are richer than Meralco," he hisses. PDEA boss
retired General Dionisio Santiago retorts: "The P50 million is cheap
in relation to a lifetime in jail. The punishment for illegal drugs
dealing is lifetime imprisonment."

Also, Santiago says, "these boys have been described as salot [curse]
by families of their victims." The PDEA chief also hints at possible
links of the boys to international drug syndicates. Santiago says
"these are no ordinary boys."

The father of one of the boys, Johnny Joseph, Johnny Midnight to the
many followers of his unlamented toning days on radio, has gone on a
media offensive, defending his son, Jorge. His son, he admits, "is a
social user but not an addict. It's no big deal." To which General
Santiago counters: "If I kill someone, can I say that I am just a
social murderer?"

Gonzalez is at a disadvantage in this game. He is in a damn if you do,
damn in you don't situation. People under him, including an otherwise
well-meaning undersecretary and a veteran state prosecutor, are under
a cloud of doubt because of allegations of payoff and use of pressure
that should have led to the release of the Alabang Boys.

I like the face-off between Secretary Gonzalez and General Santiago.
Both are very competent people with years of dedicated service in
government. Gonzalez is a topnotch lawyer who became famous as a
prosecutor of the Aquino-Galman double murder case. Santiago has a
37-year military career and is a former chief of staff of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines and director of the National Penitentiary.
Both men can be very stubborn, which is often how they get things done.

When Gloria Arroyo named him PDEA chief in April 2006, her
instructions to Santiago were: "Get back to work."