MANILA,Philippines--The head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday said he has turned down Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino’s request to go on vacation.

Marcelino is the PDEA officer who spoke of three alleged attempts to bribe him and his men in exchange for the release of the so-called “Alabang Boys.” Marcelino had said no and stood his ground.

Director General Dioniso Santiago said Marcelino still has a lot of anti-illegal drug operations to complete, and has been making a lot of progress in his job.

Santiago also said Marcelino's post in the PDEA was “critical” since he was busting a lot of illegal drug operations. His post needs a very competent person, he added.

“Yun lang mahinang commander ang magbibitiw sa mabuting opisyal (Only a weak commander would let go of a good official,” he said at the Serye forum in Quezon City.

In an interview, Santiago said he told Marcelino that there were still many operations that he had to finish. “I told him I need him. He's still performing. He still has a lot of operations to do,” he said.