Angry De Lima: I should have relieved ex-NBI officials earlier

MANILA, Philippines – A visibly upset Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told reporters on Thursday, March 27, that she should have relieved much earlier dismissed officials of the National Bureau of Investigation who have been bad-mouthing her.

In an ambush interview, she said their supposed links to alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles were not the only reason for their removal.

There are countless other reasons for the dismissal of NBI Deputy Director Reynaldo Esmeralda and NBI Deputy Director for Special Investigation Services Ruel Lasala, according to De Lima.

“It’s their overall reputation,” she said, adding that “ang aking misgiving and regret ngayon is I should have done that earlier. I should have asked their removal much earlier bago pa man nagkaroon ng Napoles issue para di pinipilit i-link doon. Because dati ko nang plano yan. I was just looking for the proper timing.”

(My misgiving and regret now is, I should have done that earlier. I should have asked their removal much earlier even before the Napoles issue surfaced so that they couldn’t forcibly link their dismissal to it. I had long planned this. I was just looking for the proper timing.)

“Ang nagiging problema I think, ang pinapalabas nila ngayon na talagang dahilan kung bakit pinalitan sila as I recommended, is that tungkol nga doon, they were accused of being moles of Miss Napoles, allegedly nag-tip etc. Sa totoo naman, di na-establish yung fact na yan na sila ang nag-tip.”

(The problem I think, is that, what they are trying to show is that the real reason they were relieved as I recommended is that they were accused of being moles of Miss Napoles, they supposedly tipped her off. In reality, that fact was not established, that they were the ones who tipped her off.)

Going personal

Trying to control her emotions, she said, “Ano ba gusto nila? Ano gusto nila? Kung sa tingin nila mali ang pagtatanggal sa kanila…anong legal argument nila, doon lang dapat sa legal argument. Then they have all the right to avail of appropriate available remedies. Hwag idaan sa ganyan.”

(What do they want? What do they want? If they think their removal was wrong, what’s their legal argument? They should stay with the legal argument. Then they have all the right to avail of appropriate available remedies. Not this way.)

De Lima was apparently referring to insinuations by Esmeralda that it was her estranged husband, lawyer Plaridel Bohol, who had links with Napoles because he met with her in the NBI premises. (READ: Sacked NBI exec: De Lima’s ex-husband in NBI-Napoles meeting.)

Bohol issued a statement, saying he went to the NBI not to meet with Napoles, but to greet then NBI director Nonnatus Rojas a belated happy birthday.

De Lima refused to comment on Esmeralda’s allegations, saying that whatever she says might be misconstrued as an attempt to preempt or influence the ongoing probe by an NBI ad hoc committee.

The Department of Justice still has to determine who tipped off Napoles about pending arrests.

Ostensibly to get back at her, those who were relieved have been trying to link to Napoles people perceived to be close to, or affiliated with, De Lima herself. This includes her estranged husband. – Rappler.com