Pubdate: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 Source: People's Journal (Philippines) Copyright: 2004 People's Journal Contact: http://www.journal.com.ph/contactus.asp Website: http://www.journal.com.ph/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3381 Author: Rudy Kahulugan Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?236 (Corruption - Outside U.S.) JAYLO LASHES BACK: 'MY ACCUSERS ARE LIARS, CROOKS!' Former Police Capt. Reynaldo Jaylo has denied allegations that he killed his own man in a drug operation in Binondo, Manila last January and called his accusers "liars and crooks." Jaylo, head of the Presidential Anti-Illegal Recruitment Task Force, used to head the Philippine Drug Enforcement's Task Force Hunter. In an operation last January 9, one of his men, civilian agent Richard Elnar, was killed along with two suspects, Eric Dino and Enrique Esguerra, in what Jaylo claims was a shootout. Two of Jaylo's former agents, however, Ricardo Penalosa and Makati cop SPO1 Narciso Padua, have surfaced to say that Dino and Esguerra were killed and Elnar "sacrificed" to make it appear that there was a shootout. Jaylo said Penalosa and Padua were now working under PDEA director general Anselmo Avenido with whom he had a word war over reports that members of his task force were involved in extortion activities against suspected drug traffickers. He accused the two of being the source of information that Task Force Hunter operatives "often released arrested drug pushers for a fee" because "they have an axe to grind against me." "Iyang sina Penalosa at Padua ay dinismiss ko sa grupo ko dahil sa malawakang pamimitsa ng mga nahuhuli na mga drug pushers at drug lords," Jaylo said. He said that Penalosa applied as a civilian agent early last year. Penalosa claimed to be a former bodyguard of then Makati Mayor Nemesio Yabut and a confidential agent of the National Bureau of Investigation under Director Santiago Toledo. "Sir, kahit walang suweldo basta't magtatrabaho lang ako," Jaylo quoted Penalosa as saying. It was only last April when Jaylo said he found out about Penalosa's activities when the latter arrested a certain Akeera, a Japanese suspected of drug pushing, and extorted from him a sizable amount of money. Penalosa, Jaylo said, even took the Japanese's expensive cellular phone. When he found out about the incident, Jaylo fired Penalosa and confiscated his identification card and firearm. "Padua is no different from Penalosa because they belong to the same breed of crooks," said Jaylo. Padua was previously convicted for drug use, revealed Jaylo, but for some reason, was reinstated as a police officer in Makati City. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager