Bato: Azurin ‘not yet off the hook’ over alleged shabu haul cover-up

Former Philippine National Police chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. is “not yet off the hook” from the alleged cover-up of the P6.7 billion shabu haul in Manila last year, Senate public order and dangerous drugs panel chairman Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said Wednesday.

“[Azurin] is not yet off the hook. [He] is not yet off the hook,” Dela Rosa told reporters in an interview.

He mentioned the statement of Police Drug Enforcement Group director Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo in a previous Senate hearing claiming that Azurin made a clearance to conduct a follow-up operation on the arrest of dismissed Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo—the cop involved in the confiscated 990-kilogram of shabu in Manila.

“Klinaro naman natin ‘yan kung ano instruction talaga ni General Azurin. At kinonfirm din ni Azurin na ang kanyang clearance na binigay, kung sinabi ni Mayo na alam na ito ni chief PNP noong pag-conduct ng follow-up operation. ‘Yan ang may clearance kay chief PNP, hindi yung pagtago kay Mayo,” the senator said.

Despite this, Dela Rosa, Azurin’s upperclassman in the Philippine Military Academy, said they cannot ascertain if the alleged cover up has reached the level of the former PNP chief as the Senate hearing is still ongoing and he believes that Domingo is still concealing some information from the Senate panel.

“Nag-testify na siya, oo. Pero baka mamaya sabihin niya, ‘Sa totoo lang, sir eh, talagang cleared kay chief PNP na itago namin si Mayo,’” Dela Rosa said.

“Almost there [at Azurin’s level], but not yet…Unless talaga kung next hearing, magsabi si Domingo na may instruction talaga o clearance si General Azurin na itago si Mayo, wag kasuhan,” Dela Rosa said.

“But then again, hanggang attempted cover-up lang tayo diyan dahil wala namang nangyari na consummated na cover-up dahil nakasuhan na si Mayo. Attempted siguro, kung sabihin ni Domingo,” he added.

When asked to comment on Dela Rosa’s statement, Azurin maintained that there was no cover-up in Mayo’s arrest.

"I stand by my statement that there is no cover-up in the Mayo case," he told GMA News Online in a Viber message.

Azurin earlier said there was no plan to cover up the Mayo drug mess, and there was no attempt to delay the investigation into Mayo’s supposed involvement in it.

In October 2022, Mayo was arrested after authorities confiscated shabu worth P6.7 billion following a series of anti-drug operations in Manila.

Mayo is an intelligence officer for the PDEG, based on police records.

Police officers allegedly pilfered around 42 kilos of shabu from the illegal drugs seized from Mayo.

Due to the alleged cover-up of the incident, criminal and administrative charges were recommended against 49 PNP officials and personnel. —LDF/VBL, GMA Integrated News