PAGCOR SVP Raul Villanueva apologizes to ex-PNP chiefs

Manila Bulletin

PAGCOR Senior Vice President Raul Villanueva apologized to former Philippine National Police (PNP) chiefs during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, September 24, after it was revealed that a former PNP chief was involved in Alice Guo's escape from the Philippines.  "I don't want to put malice on our chief PNPs. I'm sorry kung 'yan ang interpret ng mga chief PNPs natin. But I hold them in respect because each of these chief PNPs has their own legacy," Villanueva stated.  Subscribe to the Manila Bulletin Online channel! - https://www.youtube.com/TheManilaBulletin  Visit our website at http://mb.com.ph Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manilabulletin Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/manila_bulletin Instagram: https://instagram.com/manilabulletin Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@manilabulletin  #ManilaBulletinOnline #ManilaBulletin #LatestNews

Transcript

00:00Madam Chair, I just would like to go back to my opening statement for General Raul Villanueva.

00:10According to PNP CIDG chief, Police Major General Leo Francisco,

00:26General Raul Villanueva, you admitted that what you said in the Senate hearing last week is purely rumors. Is it correct?

00:34General Villanueva

00:36Good afternoon Madam Chair.

00:38As I have stated last Senate hearing Madam Chair, I consider it as rumor.

00:48Why do I dismiss it as rumors? Because I don't have any confirmation at all. I don't have any verified data.

00:57Because as of now, PAGOR is very much concentrated on running after or helping our law enforcement agencies,

01:04and running after the big pogos in the provinces.

01:13Madam Chair, did you hear the statement I read earlier coming from the Council of Chiefs?

01:44Therefore, it is not yet valid.

01:49General Raul Villanueva

01:50Correct. I agree with you. But then I think you should agree with me also,

01:54that information as sensitive as what you have offered to this committee should be taken seriously.

02:08By the source of the information, you should have gained a lesson learned from the previous hearing,

02:19that whenever we have information that is unvalidated, we should not just share it with the public.

02:30Because it will ruin the reputation of other people who may be aware of the information you have released.

02:41Am I correct?

02:43Correct, Your Honor. That's why we defer it to the CIDG.

02:47Actually, yesterday I was talking with the CIDG.

02:51Because these are raw information only. I don't have any confirmation yet.

02:57Especially now that I hold in respect our chief PNP.

03:01Because they are like AFP. I am from AFP.

03:04Our chief PNP is like our chief of staff. I know a lot of them.

03:12And I know they have their own legacies in running the PNP.

03:19A lot of chief PNPs are thinking about their legacy programs to improve the PNP institution.

03:29That's why I don't fully understand this, Your Honor.

03:35Because I don't have a basis, I don't have verified information regarding this.

03:47That's why I qualified it earlier in the last Senate hearing.

03:51This is raw information. I don't want to put malice on our chief PNPs.

03:58I'm sorry if that's how our chief PNPs interpret it.

04:03But I hold them in respect because each of these chief PNPs has their own legacy in the PNP institution.

04:13So at least when you say you're sorry, does that mean to this committee that you're already issuing a public apology?

04:24Yes, Your Honor, to say it very bluntly.

04:32I'm just, I mean, I know in the last session I already qualified this as raw information.

04:44And therefore it has no bearing at all yet.

04:48Because I don't have any verified information or confirmation from other sources.

04:54That's why I have to ask a lot of people, but I came up with nothing.

05:00That's why retired chief PNPs react.

05:05Because knowing you, you came from the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

05:11And you know how we treat classified information.

05:15Even though this information is not yet classified, as you said, that this is still unverified.

05:21We know that it has to go through a process.

05:25And the end of that process is the evaluation.

05:29And you have to evaluate that information, whether the source is reliable and the information itself is credible.

05:37That's why we have A1, A2, B3, C, right?

05:43A to F, that is how we classify, how we evaluate the reliability of the source of the information.

05:52And the number 1 to 6, that is to evaluate the credibility of the information itself,

06:01whether it is true, probably true, or possibly true.

06:08So that still has to go through a process.

06:10So even if you say that this is A1 information,

06:17meaning the highest evaluation that we can give to an intelligence information,

06:23still, it will not hold water in court because it has no evidentiary value

06:29until your informant converts that information into writing and converts it into a sworn statement.

06:38Even if it becomes a sworn statement, it will still be questionable.

06:42If it is not, it has no personal knowledge.

06:44If the information is still a hair saver, that he is the one who made it, right?

06:48So that incident should serve a lesson to everyone.

06:52Let us be careful to release such information

06:57because many will be hit that should not be hit in unverified reports.

07:03So thank you for that.

07:04At least you are an officer and a gentleman enough to accept that,

07:10to admit that somehow you made a mistake in giving out that information.

07:16And on behalf of the Council of the retired Chief PNP,

07:22I would like to thank you for your demeanor.

07:26Indeed, you are an officer and a gentleman.

07:28Thank you, General Villanueva.

07:33Thank you, General Villanueva.

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