Duterte slams De Lima for failing to sue ‘David Tan’
Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. FILE PHOTO
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Mayor Rodrigo Duterte scored Secretary Justice Leila De Lima for failing to build a case around suspected smuggling lord David Tan, which could have easily been done through sworn testimonies from Filipino businessmen who claimed to have known Tan as Davidson Bangayan.
“They have the same address, the same company names, they even have the same lawyers and yet, they’re not the same?” Duterte asked during his Sunday television program Gikan sa masa, para sa masa, reacting to the reports that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) released David Bangayan early this week following the government failure to link him to the alleged smuggling lord David Tan.
“Stop talking, and start working,” Duterte said addressing Justice Secretary De Lima, who earlier insisted that David Bangayan was a businessman from Davao.
“What has the DOJ (Department of Justice) done so far to protect the interest of the national government?” Duterte asked.
“The government is losing 1.3 trillion pesos in three years because of smuggling at wala kayong ginawa, mahiya naman kayo (and you’re not doing anything about it, you should be ashamed),” Duterte said.
Article continues after this advertisementDuterte said the Department of Justice (DOJ) could have built a case around Tan, instead of making statements prematurely.
Article continues after this advertisementHe said De Lima could have zeroed in on the testimonies of businessmen from the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI), get a sworn testimony identifying David Bangayan as the same person as David Tan, as what they have been claiming, and that would have served as sufficient ground for arrest.
“But what have you done?” he asked, addressing De Lima. “You failed to build a case because all you wanted was publicity, kung ganun kayo kahina (if you’re that slow)…,” Duterte said, but did not continue.
De Lima specialized in election-related cases before being appointed to government posts. She did not have a lot of prosecution cases in her track record.
“Why, you just opened your mouth for publicity, I’m telling you to stop talking and start working, you walk your talk and talk your walk,” Duterte said.
Bangayan, who appeared before the NBI to clear his name, denied being the alleged rice smuggling lord David Tan. He was arrested for the case of pilferage filed against him by a Singapore businessman in a Calamba court but the NBI had to release him because they failed to build a case.
“It doesn’t matter what or how many names he is using,” Duterte said. “What’s important is you establish the person’s identity, his persona, and build a case around him,” he said.
He said the corporations and companies were just being used as dummies in the smuggling activities and the national government agencies like the DOJ and the NBI must crack down into the personas behind them.
Saying that Davidson Bangayan has been confirmed to have come from Tuguegarao in Luzon, and not from Davao, as De Lima had categorically insisted, Duterte said he saw malice in the De Lima’s statement describing the smuggling lord as a Davao City resident.
“I see malice in Secretary De Lima’s statement,” the mayor said.
He also said even the petitioner Joseph Ngo in Davao should be made to appear in court to confirm his existence.
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He also vowed to keep the local government on the alert against smuggling in Davao, saying that the National Food Authority (NFA) has been authorized to issue import permits, until the repeal of the Agriculture Tariffication Act or Republic Act 1878.
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