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MANILAhit-bonus, Philippines — Wilkins Villanueva, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director, was cited in contempt on Thursday, December 12.

During the 13th hearing of the House Quad Committee, Rep. Joseph “Caraps” Paduano (Abang Lingkod Partylist) motioned to hold Villanueva in contempt, citing his refusal to answer questions directly and allegedly “lying.”

His detention at the House of Representatives was issued as a penalty for the contempt citation.  

Lawmakers have the authority to cite a resource person in contempt and recommend detention as a penalty if deemed justified. Other offenses, such as skipping hearings without a valid excuse, are also outlined in Section 11 of the House rules.

In the spirit of Christmas, Villanueva will not be serving the contempt order in December.

Rep. Romeo Acop (Antipolo, 2nd District) motioned to have Villanueva serve the contempt order when Congress resumes its session on Jan. 13, 2025, which was agreed upon by the committee.

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Villanueva is one of the key resource persons at the House Quad Comm’s probe into the illegal drug trade during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s term. 

He has been questioned about a joint raid in 2004, conducted with the Philippine National Police, on a crystal meth or shabu laboratory as part of their anti-illegal drug operation in Davao. 

Villanueva also previously served as the PDEA regional head for Northern Mindanao.

The former PDEA director has also been questioned about his knowledge of Chinese nationals and businessmen Allan Lim and Michael Yang, who are allegedly linked to the illegal drug trade. Yang was also Duterte's economic adviser, while Lim is Yang's business associate.  

Various investigations have mentioned their names, some involving the Pharmally procurement issue and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), which the government has been actively shutting down due to criminal activities discovered within these operations.

Villanueva’s former colleague, police colonel Eduardo Acierto, accused him of "protecting" Lim and Yang, claiming to have evidence of their connections to the illegal drug trade. He previously said that PDEA officials ignored the confidential report on Yang in 2017.

“The PNP would like to commit our full support to him like we did to previous SILGs (secretaries of the interior and local government),” Fajardo said at a news briefing.

The program involves the development of a local defense industry through partnerships between the government and private manufacturers to achieve domestic production capability for weapons and other defense materiel for the military.

Acierto said during a previous Quad Comm hearing that Duterte’s drug war is "fake" because it does not target big personalities like Lim and Yang, who have been seen with the former president.

Villanueva, howeverhit-bonus, has maintained that there is no evidence that Yang is involved in the illegal drug trade. 

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