MANILA, Philippines--Citing the need to “decongest” its detention cells, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday appealed to the Department of Justice (DoJ) to file illegal drug charges against Richard Brodett, Jorge Joseph and Joseph Tecson.

PDEA Director General Dionisio Santiago said the agency is still waiting for the commitment orders to be issued by the courts against the three suspects to transfer them to city jails.

“Actually ang key diyan is the court. Kami [we want] as soon as possible, we want to decongest our jails and we want the procedure to be followed. But just the same, the jails will not accept them without commitment orders and the commitment order will come from the court. So ‘pag na-file yung kaso, that is the trigger. If the case is filed, automatically the court shall issue a commitment. Kung hindi sila mag-issue we will request officially,” Santiago said in an interview after the signing of the memorandum of agreement between PDEA and the Philippine Coast Guard.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez has instructed the prosecutors of Muntinlupa and Quezon City to file drug charges against Brodett, Joseph, and Tecson, also known as the “Alabang Boys.”

Gonzalez issued the order after Malacañang reversed a Department of Justice resolution in December that found no probable cause to charge the three suspects with violation of the dangerous drugs law.

Santiago said that if commitment orders were issued, Tecson would be detained in a Quezon City jail while Brodett and Joseph in a jail in Muntinlupa City.