Malacañang welcomes DOJ drug charges vs Peter Lim

Camille Elemia

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Malacañang welcomes DOJ drug charges vs Peter Lim
'Big fish or small, our war against drugs spares no one,' says Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Sunday, August 12, welcomed the drug charges filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim.

“The filing of charges by the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Peter Lim shows government’s seriousness and firm resolve in fighting the illicit drug trade,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. 

“Big fish or small, our war against drugs spares no one. It is a war that drug smugglers and traffickers are bound to lose,” he added.

The DOJ charged Lim with two counts of conspiracy to commit illegal drugs. This reversed the earlier controversial decision of its own prosecution panel that cleared Lim. (READ: Duterte promotes DOJ prosecutor who cleared suspects in big drug cases)

Lim has a pending Supreme Court petition that seeks to nullify the entire DOJ investigation for allegedly violating his right to due process. (READ: 2002 House report proves Peter Lim lied over drug links – gov’t lawyers)

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) earlier identified Lim as someone who has supplied “staggering amounts of shabu.” He was the same Peter Lim who was spotted attending the same parties in Cebu City in 2016 as President Rodrigo Duterte. 

While Roque says the drug war spares no one, the Duterte administration has drawn flak for allegedly catching only the small fish.

The administration, for example, has remained silent on the P6.4-billion worth of smuggled shabu from China, which was linked to presidential son Paolo Duterte. The President has also defended former Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon, even reappointing him to another agency. – Rappler.com

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Camille Elemia

Camille Elemia is a former multimedia reporter for Rappler. She covered media and disinformation, the Senate, the Office of the President, and politics.