MANILA, Philippines – A member of the House committee on justice expressed frustration over the flow of the congressional inquiry into the drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison, saying it seemed to be directed to implicate Senator Leila De Lima.

On the second day of the hearing on Wednesday, September 21, Cebu City 2nd District Representative Rodrigo Abellanosa said the sworn statements of the witnesses presented by the Department of Justice (DOJ), so far, all point to De Lima’s alleged links to the illegal drug trade at the state penitentiary.

“There seems to be an effort on the part of the DOJ to make the flow of the statements point to De Lima. In other words, the purpose of this committee in this inquiry has been constricted to the De Lima perspective,” said Abellanosa.

“I’m not against it, of course, it is very helpful, nevertheless. But how we wish through the efforts of the DOJ or perhaps the committee can bring in additional witnesses outside the initiative of the DOJ so that we can have a broader perspective of what really happened in the national prison,” he added.

For the past two days, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II had presented 9 witnesses – two of whom are National Bureau of Investigation officials and the rest inmates detained at the NBP. (READ: Witnesses pin De Lima on day 1 of House probe into Bilibid)

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has given 10 witnesses, 8 convicts at the Bilibid,  immunity from suit for their testimonies at the House probe.

The witnesses claimed that De Lima, through her “people” had allowed drugs to proliferate at the NBP and allegedly received millions of pesos in drug money to fund her 2016 senatorial bid.

The witnesses also claimed that De Lima received the money through Ronnie Dayan, her former bodyguard and driver, with whom President Rodrigo Duterte accused her of having an illicit affair.

“I feel like you’re also helping Duterte against his war against De Lima,” Abellanosa told Aguirre.

But Aguirre denied this, saying he did not force any of the witnesses to execute their affidavits because they made these through the help of their respective lawyers. (READ: Duterte not behind House probe on Bilibid – Aguirre)

“Kung ‘yang mga affidavits nila ay patungo sa culpability ni Secretary De Lima, wala pa akong kagagawan doon. Ibig ko lamang pong sabihin, kung ‘yan ay talagang patungo doon, sapagkat ‘yun po siguro ang hinihingi ng ebidensiya,” said Aguirre.

(If the affidavits are going in the direction of Secretary De Lima’s culpability, I have nothing to do with that. If that is where things are going, it’s probably because that is what the evidence is pointing to.)

Based on the witnesses’ sworn statements, some of them simply wanted to help Duterte’s ongoing war against drugs.

Other witnesses executed affidavits in exchange for favors. “Bilibid 19” high-profile convict Herbert Colanggo is requesting inclusion in the DOJ’s Witness Protection Program.

Noel Martinez, meanwhile, is requesting that his cell be moved out of the NBP’s Building 14, where other high-profile inmates and gang leaders are currently staying.

Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo Umali, House committee on justice chairperson, said the panel will subpoena other personalities mentioned by the witnesses to gain a wider perspective during the hearings.

“We have subpoenaed many others those whose names came out that Secretary Aguirre could not produce one reason or another. We will subpoena them and this will probably give that wider perspective that you wish this committee to cover,” Umali told Abellanosa.

“Hintay lang po at darating din po tayo diyan. Hindi po natin mapipiga ang lahat ng nandito (Just wait and we will get there. We can’t squeeze everything out immediately). We are giving time to these witnesses because their testimonies are so important in the establishment of the facts that we need to perform our mandate as committee on justice,” he added.

The House panel plans to summon former Bureau of Corrections chiefs Gaudencio Pangilinan, Franklin Jesus Bucayu, and Ricardo Cruz to testify at the hearing.

They also plan to subpoena Dayan and former justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, who denied Colanggo’s allegations that he had made money from the transfer of inmates within the NBP. – Rappler.com