MANILA, Philippines — A person by the name of Daniel “Snooky” Cruz, who is said to have links with Malacañang, is allegedly the source of President Rodrigo Duterte’s “fabricated” documents about the overseas accounts of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
The opposition lawmaker disclosed this on Tuesday, Oct. 3, during his privilege speech at the Senate, claiming Cruz had sold for P10 million the “fake” bank details to the Office of the President last August 31, which became the basis of Duterte’s accusations against Trillanes.
The senator said Philippine Military Academy graduates tipped him about Cruz, who, according to the senator, was pretending to be a former federal agent still linked to the U.S. Embassy.
“Ang nag-imbento ay isang Daniel ‘Snooky’ Cruz. Ito pong taong to nagpapanggap na siya raw ay isang well-connected sa U.S. embassy, dati raw siyang federal agent,” the lawmaker said.
During his speech, Trillanes also showed pictures of Cruz with Duterte and Philippine National Police chief Gen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
“Again, si Mister Daniel Cruz ay meron siyang mga connection sa Malacañang. Nakaakbay siya kay PNP (chief), well-connected siya,” he said.
Also, Trillanes said he was verifying if Cruz was also connected to former President and current Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo because he was holding office at the LTA Building on Perea Street in Makati City, owned by the family of former first gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo.
Cruz also allegedly sold last year Sen. Leila de Lima’s “fake” bank information to her government critics but its details were not exposed to the public after an unidentified Cabinet official was informed that the accounts were fabricated, according to Trillanes.
He said his fake offshore accounts that were almost similar to De Lima’s fabricated bank records were allegedly recycled with only some changes before Cruz allegedly sold the documents to Malacañang.
“Isang Cabinet official di nilabas kasi peke. Buti naman di siya nasunog pero di pa nadala dito si Mister Snooky Cruz, pinalitan lang ibang detalye at binenta ulit sa Malacañang this time,” said Trillanes.
Cruz’s Facebook page shows a photo him shaking hands with Duterte, both of them wearing barong.
The picture uploaded on August 31 had a caption that read, “The last time I saw the President was when he was still the Mayor of Davao City hanging around at our favorite hang out place…at the work desk of our mutual friend Larry Yap at his Felcris Super Store Grocery in Davao.”
Another photo uploaded on Sept. Sept. 4 shows Cruz with PNP spokesman Dionard Carlos and presidential legal adviser Salvador Panelo. The caption read, “My bes pren Caloy and I with Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Atty. Sal Panelo at the Malacanang Palace.”
Director of firm providing security services
Based on his resumé uploaded online, Daniel “Snooky” H. Cruz Jr. has been the director of CRP (Comprehensive Research, Probing) Security Consultancy Inc. since 2014.
CRP’s Facebook page says the firm, which started operations in 1988 and holds office in Quezon City, provides “top class consulting and security solutions.”
Among the services being offered by CRP are the following:
–Due Diligence Investigation
–Commercial Information Research
–Intellectual Property Rights
–Asset Tracing/Collection
–Surveillance/Stake Out
–Credit Checking
–Security Audit and Assessment
–Security Coordination
–Threat Awareness Seminar
–Tactical Driving Training
–High Angle Rescue Course
–Court Case Verification
–VIP Protection/Protective Services
–Vulnerability Assessment
–Port Facility Security Assessment/Plan
–Insurance Fraud Investigation
–Pre-Employment Checking
–Area Threat Assessment
–Other forms of research and verification
Lacson’s ex-consultant
His resumé states that Cruz took up Bachelor of Science in Commerce major in Business Management at the Dela Salle University, which he finished in 1988.
Besides working for CRP, Cruz is also chief tactical firearms instructor of the Laguna-based Artemis Defense & Security Solutions, senior security consultant of the Makati City-based Orion Support Inc., and security consultant of Dole-Stanfilco under Orion.
He also stated in his bio-data that he worked as Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s consultant at the Congressional Oversight Committee on Dangerous Drugs from 2004 to 2007 and as director of the Makati-based Special Applications Research, Inc. from 2003 to 2007.
U.S. gov’t investigator
From 1998 to 2003, it was noted in his resumé that Cruz had worked as criminal investigator for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration based at the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
As investigator for the US DOJ’s Drug Enforcement Administration, Cruz noted in his resumé that he had worked with the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau that resulted in the seizure of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Antipolo City in November 2003.
He also noted that in December 1992, he assisted the Regional Affairs of the U.S. Embassy in an investigation that led to the seizure of three improvised explosive devices smuggled into the Manila Harbor from Zamboanga by a faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
In April 2001, Cruz said he had received a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. Marshall Service, District of Hawaii, for assisting in an investigation that led to the arrest of federal fugitive Edmund Martin.
Since 1988, Cruz said he had been helping the U.S. Marshal Service in the location, recovery, and summary deportation of federal fugitives in the Philippines.
NICA case officer
From 1990 to 1992, during the presidency of Corazon Aquino, Cruz was case officer for the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, an agency under the Office of the President.
Cruz further said in his resumé that he provides assistance to various law enforcement agencies in the training of its personnel on the latest police intervention techniques and street survival tactics and occasionally extends executive protection services to expats and local businessmen.
WATCH NEWS5’S VIDEO ON SEN. TRILLANES’ SPEECH ABOUT DANIEL ‘SNOOKY’ CRUZ:
