Maricel Soriano denies reports alleging drug use

VETERAN actress Maricel Soriano on Tuesday denied allegations that she was involved in illegal drugs after documents purportedly leaked from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) named her and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as users.

Testifying before the Senate Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs, Soriano said she did not know why she was invited to the hearing and that she had not seen the documents until they were shown to her.

However, she admitted owning the condominium unit — Unit 46C in Rizal Tower in Rockwell in Makati City — mentioned in the reports as being the site of drug-related activities.

But Soriano said she had sold the unit in 2012.

In 2011, two former household workers filed a complaint of severe physical injury against Soriano, saying they fled from the condominium unit because of her alleged cocaine use, a charge the actress denied.

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“They left because they stole from me,” she said, adding that it is not true that she beat them.

“How could I beat them up? There were two of them,” she said.

On Monday, President Marcos merely laughed off the drug use allegations.

Actress Maricel Soriano, who was implicated by Jonathan Morales in his investigation on illegal drugs in 2012, attends public hearing on the alleged leaks at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. PHOTOS BY RENE H. DILAN

PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo has dismissed the documents as fake and said the former agent who signed the report, Jonathan Morales, could not be trusted as he perjured his application to PDEA by not disclosing that he was dismissed from the Philippine National Police.

But Sen. Ronald de la Rosa, who heads the illegal drugs panel, said he was convinced the documents were legitimate.

The panel resumed its investigation of the leaked documents on Tuesday.

Morales on Tuesday told the panel that he could not remember the identity of the informant behind the reports, drawing a rebuke from Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

“Morales, you mention the names of prominent personalities, even the name of the President and a famous actress, without evidence,” Estrada said in Filipino. “You said it came from an informant, but you can’t recall the name. You are just ruining the reputations of these people.”

Estrada said the intention of the hearing was clear — to bring out the truth. It is also apparent in the existing laws that the disclosure and improper use of confidential information are illegal and have corresponding penalties.

“But before we apply the law, we first need to establish that there is a confidential document or information. And if there is, is this an official PDEA document or a fabricated one? And the next important question that needs to be answered is: Who committed the disclosure of the documents, whether they are manufactured or not?”

“I hope we will be able to know what transpired, determine if illegal acts were committed, and make responsible individuals accountable,” Estrada added.

De la Rosa, an ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who has accused President Marcos of being a drug addict, set the next hearing for next week.

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