Dumpit denies links to shabu lab

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union, Philippines – Former La Union second district representative Thomas Dumpit Jr. has denied involvement in the establishment of the shabu laboratory in Barangay Bimmotobot, Naguilian, La Union busted by authorities in July 2008.

Dumpit has been tagged by Mayor Reynaldo Flores of Naguilian town as the mastermind in the operation of the shabu lab.

In a statement sent to The STAR, Dumpit affirmed his privilege speech in Congress in 2008 naming Flores as the alleged protector of one of the biggest shabu laboratories discovered in the country.

Dumpit said he is studying if President Duterte’s list of politicians involved in the illegal drug trade can be used as a basis to indict the officials and find probable cause for the filing of cases in court.

Flores, together with Mayor Martin de Guzman of Bauang town, Mayor Dante Garcia of Tubao town and former congressman Eufranio Eriguel have been tagged by Duterte in his list. The four denied involvement in illegal drug activities.

“We should take advantage of this golden opportunity to file cases against these ‘narco-mayors.’ The shame list is just the start. We should follow through until its conclusion and there should be no turning back,” Dumpit said.

He said he declared war on narco-politics since 2008 but no one listened to him.

Flores, on the other hand, earlier thanked Duterte for naming him in his list because this gave him the opportunity to tell everything about the facility.

“Because of the shabu laboratory, my name was dragged in bad light. However, the President made me an instrument for the reopening of this case to find out the real mastermind of the shabu laboratory. I am very positive that the truth will come out,” he said.

Flores said he has declared all the information that he knows about the illegal facility in the affidavit that he submitted to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police.

He said that aside from former Police Supt. Dionicio Borromeo, the convicted lab protector, there are even bigger personalities behind the illegal operation.