Push Admin

Makati court junks drug case vs rapper Loonie due to absence of witnesses during arrest

Article (news)

Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8YtyhYBxa-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"> </div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"> </div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8YtyhYBxa-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8YtyhYBxa-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"> </div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"> </div></div><div style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8YtyhYBxa-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Marlon Loonie Peroramas (@loonieverse)</a></div></div></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>MANILA — A Makati court has dismissed the drug case against a rapper, his sister and a staff filed by the Makati police in 2019 because of the police’s failure to secure the presence of the required witnesses during the arrest.</p><p>Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 64 granted the demurrer to evidence, essentially a motion to dismiss due to insufficiency of evidence, filed by Marlon Peroramas, more popularly known as rapper Loonie.</p><p>Makati police caught Loonie in a buy-bust operation in the parking lot of a hotel in Makati City on September 18, 2019, supposedly selling 15 sachets of marijuana to a police poseur-buyer.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/09/18/19/sikat-na-rapper-arestado-sa-buy-bust-operation-sa-makati">Sikat na rapper, arestado sa buy-bust operation sa Makati</a></li></ul><p>Arrested with Loonie were his sister Idyll Liza Peroramas and one of his staff, David Rizon. </p><p>They were charged with selling illegal drugs under Section 5 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Republic Act 9165).</p><p>The Makati RTC, however, found that the police failed to strictly follow the chain of custody requirement under Section 21 of the law, which requires the presence of an elected public official and a representative of the National Prosecution Service or the media, who will serve as witnesses.</p><p>“It is incumbent upon the prosecution to account for these witnesses’ absence by presenting a justifiable reason therefore or, at the very least, by showing that genuine and sufficient efforts were exerted by the apprehending officers to secure their presence,” Judge Gina Bibat-Palamos said in junking the case.</p><p>“In the case at bar, there was no evidence presented or there was even no attempt to justify the absence of an elected public official and a DOJ representative during the buy bust operation. In view of this unjustified deviation from the chain of custody rule, the court is therefore constrained to conclude that the integrity and evidentiary value of the item purportedly seized from the accused, which consequently warrants the dismissal of the case,” she said.</p><p>Chain of custody refers to the recorded movements of the seized drugs from the time of its seizure or confiscation until its receipt in the forensic laboratory either for safekeeping or destruction, which is important to ensure the identity of the drugs that later on will be presented in court. </p><p>RA 9165 requires that the chain of custody of the illegal drugs must remain unbroken, thus, the need for witnesses.</p><p>Police corporal Jan Kirby Vigilia, who allegedly transacted via text message with Loonie the sale of marijuana worth P100,000, admitted in court that the elected official and media representative were not present at the basement of a hotel in Makati during the buy-bust operation, the arrest of the accused and the confiscation of the dangerous drugs.</p><p>“There was sufficient time for the operatives to secure the presence of the required witnesses as the buy-bust operation is by its nature, a planned activity. Their presence only during the inventory several hours later serves absolutely no purpose, at all, as the evidence would have long been in the possession of the operatives at that time. In other words, the buy-bust team has enough time and opportunity to bring with them said witnesses,” the court said.</p><p>“Moreover, as correctly pointed out by the defense, none of the prosecution witnesses identified the drug evidence in open court as seized from the accused,” it added.</p><p>The court also noted inconsistencies in the testimony of Vigilia as to his claims that it was Loonie who gave him a SIM card and that he took a selfie with the rapper on August 31, 2019.</p><p>“The repeated attempts of the witness to tell the court that the picture was not on his smartphone because he ‘already passed it to someone else’ before finally giving in and admitting that he allegedly deleted the very important piece of evidence, clearly demonstrates the witnesses’ lack of respect to the court and the witnesses’ testimony under oath,” the court said.</p><p>Loonie, who had earlier been released on bail, is now studying the possibility of filing counter charges against the police involved in the drug operation, based on a post on his Facebook page.</p>

<p>A Makati court has dismissed the drug case against a rapper, his sister and a staff filed by the Makati police in 2019 because of the police’s failure to secure the presence of the required witnesses during the arrest.</p>

A Makati court has dismissed the drug case against a rapper, his sister and a staff filed by the Makati police in 2019 because of the police’s failure to secure the presence of the required witnesses during the arrest.

Makati court junks drug case vs rapper Loonie due to absence of witnesses during arrest

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Showbiz

Makati court junks drug case vs rapper Loonie due to absence of witnesses during arrest

Mike Navallo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 23, 2021 05:46 PM PHT

|

Updated Jun 23, 2021 09:35 PM PHT

Read More:

DJ Loonie

drugs

buy bust operation

Makati Regional Trial Court

demurrer to evidence

chain of custody rule

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.