De Lima: Inquisition from dark ages

Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez and Sen. Leila de Lima exchanged barbs on Sunday as the House of Representatives prepared to begin its inquiry into the senator’s alleged links to illegal drug syndicates  operating inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

It’s  an “inquisition straight from the dark ages,”  said De Lima, who has denied the allegations against her.

Alvarez, talking to reporters in Leyte on Saturday, challenged De Lima to submit herself to the House investigation to prove her innocence.

“Hindi puwede ngawa nang ngawa ka lang diyan at sasabihin mo wala kang kasalanan (Simply denying the allegations is not enough),” Alvarez said, adding, “That’s not how democracy works.”

De Lima responded:  The House inquiry is nothing but Duterte’s kangaroo court meant to crucify me on false allegations.

“The House conducting this inquiry to try me before false witnesses is not democracy. The House conducting this inquiry is Duterte’s kangaroo court conducting the Salem witch trials and burning me at the stake. This is not democracy, this is an inquisition straight from the dark ages,” De Lima said on Sunday.

“As far as I know I am not on trial. No formal complaint has been filed against me. But that is the purpose of their inquiry with all the so-called Bilibid witnesses all lined up to be presented in the House inquiry,” added the former justice secretary.

The President’s allegations linking her to the illegal drug trade at the NBP came as De Lima, who heads the Senate committee on justice, began her own inquiry into the extrajudicial killings and other violations of human rights in Mr. Duterte’s brutal war on drugs.

Money from prison

The President had said that De Lima’s driver, whom he claimed was also her lover, was reportedly the one collecting the money from the NBP.

Alvarez, a close ally of the President  said the House would also summon Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to the hearings, as well as the witnesses  the Department of Justice already has in custody.

Aguirre said last week that six witnesses, among them, prisoners, jail guards and even De Lima’s “friends,” were ready to testify in the House inquiry and show proof that she received drug money from the illicit prison trade during her time as justice secretary.

The DOJ, through the Bureau of Corrections, oversees the NBP.

De Lima said the House did not have a “legitimate” cause for conducting such a legislative investigation.

Alvarez, on the other hand,  said the House committees were expected “to recommend laws to stop drug syndicates from operating inside the Bilibid.” He agreed that lawmakers did not have prosecutorial powers and could only investigate matters in aid of legislation.

He conceded the House could not force De Lima to appear at the inquiry following “interparliamentary courtesy.” With a report from  Connie E. Fernandez, Inquirer Visayas