MANILA, Philippines—Citing the need for “delicadeza” (propriety), Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Monday he was taking a leave of absence to allow for an unhampered administrative investigation of himself as ordered by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Marcelino was the lead operative in the “Alabang Boys” drugs case, so-called because the three men arrested—Richard Brodett, Jorge Joseph and Joseph Tecson—are scions of wealthy families, two of which live in the exclusive Ayala-Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City.

The President ordered Marcelino investigated for the release of Patrick el Khoury, who was allegedly driving for Joseph at the time of the drug bust in September last year.

Ms Arroyo also ordered the prosecutors and other Department of Justice (DoJ) officials investigated after Marcelino alleged they received a multimillion-peso bribe to recommend the dismissal of drug charges against the three suspects.

They were also ordered to take a leave by the President while an investigation was ongoing.

In her investigation order issued after a meeting with the agencies involved in the anti-drug campaign in Malacañang on Thursday, Ms Arroyo questioned Marcelino’s decision to release Khoury, saying he had acted like a “prosecutor.”

“I am confident my name will be cleared for releasing Khoury. He is innocent and he was not one of our targets, even the National Bureau of Investigation questioned him and found him innocent,” Marcelino said in an interview in his office.

Marcelino said he saw vindication in the President’s order to the DoJ to file drug cases against the Alabang Boys.

He also called on Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to take his own leave of absence.

“I challenge him to file a leave of absence too following the President’s order on the Alabang Boys. We all want good governance, accountability and transparency and I challenge the secretary to prove to the public that he, too, is accountable for the actions of those under him,” Marcelino said.