ILOILO CITY – Prosecutors in Western Visayas yesterday voiced their support to their beleaguered colleagues in Manila who have been dragged in the controversy over the dismissal of charges against suspected drug pushers belonging to prominent families.

In a two-page manifesto, the regional chapter of the National Prosecutor's League of the Philippines Inc. also condemned what is said was the “trial of publicity” against members of the Department of Justice's Task Force on Anti-Illegal Drugs, Chief Prosecutor Jovencity and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

DOJ Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, Zuño and two senior prosecutors are on indefinite leave upon orders of President Macapagal-Arroyo over the bribery scandal involving the so-called “Alabang Boys.”

But the prosecutors said in their manifesto that an investigation should be first conducted before.

“It is a matter of propriety that before judgment should be passed on the prosecutors concerned, a fair and just investigation by other government agencies be conducted.”

The manifesto was signed by 20 prosecutors led by Iloilo chief provincial prosecutor Bernabe Dusaban, NPLP Vice President for the Visayas and Bacolod City Prosecutor Armando Abanado, NPLP director for Western Visayas.

It was also signed by chief prosecutors of the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Negros Occidental and Capiz and the cities of Bago, Cadiz, Escalante, Sagay, Himamaylan, San Carlos, Silay, Kabankalan, Talisay and Victorias in Negros Occidental and Iloilo, Passi, Roxas on Panay Island.

The prosecutors noted that the DOJ task force and Gonzalez has been “bombarded left and right by insinuations and innuendos of bribery, graft and corruption and other acts unbecoming of prosecutors.”

They said these “baseless allegations” have greatly affected them because these have put in doubt the “honesty, integrity and humility” not only of the prosecutors but on the institution itself. These allegations have greatly affected the prosecutors, they said.

The beleaguered DOJ officials are innocent of the charges, the prosecutors also said in their manifesto.*NPB

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