A STATE prosecutor said yesterday he was considering filing libel charges against a newspaper reporter and drug enforcement agents for claiming he and other prosecutors were offered P50 million to free three suspects caught buying prohibited drugs.

John Resado, who handled the drug charges against the suspects, said he might sue Philippine Star reporter Edu Punay for libeling him and his colleagues in the Justice Department in a news report.

He said he might also file charges against some members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

But Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said the libel charge would be premature and might pre-empt the investigation of state prosecutors involved in the case.

?As a form of advice, I will tell them not to file the libel charge until the completion of the investigation of the panel on the drug bribery mess,? he said.

?Sometimes we have to learn how to face adversity.?

Gonzalez yesterday also named the people being considered to form a six-man panel to investigate the alleged P50-million bribery in his department.

He said the candidates included Ranhilio Aquino, dean of San Beda College?s Graduate School of Law; Priscilla Marie Abante, vice chairman of the National Youth Council; and Assistant Solicitor General Carl Miranda.

Also being considered were San Fernando, La Union Bishop Artemio Rillera, La Union Provincial Prosecutor Danilo Bomacod, and either retired Justice Bernardo Fajardo or retired Justice Carolina Grino-Aquino. Rey E. Requejo