Covid stops former ES Echoa from taking part in PDEA leak investigation

By: Maila Ager – 13 minutes ago

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. (Joseph Agcaoili)

MANILA, Philippines – Former Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. was again unable to attend a Senate inquiry on Monday after contracting the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Ochoa was also absent from the Senate Public Policy Committee hearing last week, reportedly due to a “scheduling conflict.”

READ: Maricel Soriano on Senate PDEA leak inquiry: “Nakakakaba, nakakatakot”

At the start of the hearing, the committee secretary told the panel that it had received a letter and a medical certificate from Ochoa “stating that he has tested positive for Covid.”

The committee headed by Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa is investigating alleged leaked documents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) that link certain figures to illegal drugs.

The alleged documents – an operating power of attorney and a pre-operation report – were allegedly issued on March 11, 2012 and signed by a former PDEA agent, Jonathan Morales.

It was Morales who dragged Ochoa into the controversy, saying the former executive secretary had allegedly ordered the 2012 operation not to proceed.

However, the PDEA has already debunked the existence of the alleged leaked documents.

“PDEA ​​conducted a review of its Plan and Operations Reports Management Information System (PORMIS) and determined that no such operation was logged on this date,” the agency said in an earlier statement.