Palace offering P10M for Acierto's arrest —Guevarra

Malacañang is offering P10 million for information leading to the arrest of dismissed police official Eduardo Acierto, who is wanted by a court for a drug smuggling case.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed the amount of the bounty on Monday, but said he is "not privy to where it will be sourced."

"The amount is certainly much larger than what the DOJ could offer," he told reporters in a text message, explaining that the department offered only P500,000 for the arrest of Peter Go Lim, who faces separate charges for drug trade conspiracy.

Guevarra said the DOJ will focus on Acierto's coddlers and protectors, adding that law enforcement agents will arrest them "wherever Acierto may be found hiding" and immediately bring them to inquest.

A Manila court has issued a warrant of arrest and a hold departure order against Acierto and seven other persons accused of importing dangerous drugs in connection with the billions of pesos worth of shabu concealed in magnetic lifters seized last year.

Guevarra earlier said that arrest efforts against Acierto were "somewhat hampered" by the leakage of the DOJ resolution indicting the former police official, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency deputy director for administration Ismael Fajardo, ex-Customs intelligence agent Jimmy Guban, and five others.

Chan Yee Wah alias KC Chan alias Fhonie Chan alias Albert Chan alias Chen Fong Hsiang; Zhou Quan alias Zhang Quan alias Zhauq Quan; Vedasto Baraquel, Jr.; Maria Lagrimas Catipan; and Emily Luquingan are also accused of offending the dangerous drugs law.

The Office of the Prosecutor General is determining who was responsible for the leakage, Guevarra said last week. —KBK, GMA News