The testimony of an alleged Davao Death Squad (DDS) gunman is a futile attempt to divert the public’s attention from the government’s investigation on how the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) became the source of the 75 percent of drug transaction in the country, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Thursday.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures and somebody is really desperate,” Aguirre said.
The investigation by the House of Representative’s Committee on Justice on the proliferation of drugs inside the national penitentiary is scheduled next week.
“I know that [Senator Leila] De Lima knows we have quite a number of witnesses,” Aguirre said.
READ: Aguirre on De Lima witness: Why only now?
Among the witnesses are 12 high profile inmates, a former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director and former NBI agents.
Aguirre said they also have a witness who directly gave De Lima P5-million.
“I invite everyone to watch the House of Representative’s Committee on Justice hearing on the proliferation of drugs at our penitentiaries so all will know the motivation behind the statements against Mayor Duterte (President Rodrigo Duterte) in today’s [Thursday] Senate hearing,” Aguirre added.
READ: ‘DDS’ member: No one ordered me to pin down Duterte
De Lima conducted a Senate hearing on extrajudicial killings where a witness, Edgar Matobato testified on the alleged murders ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte when he was mayor of Davao City.
De Lima and Duterte have been trading barbs even before the President was elected.
Duterte accused De Lima of protecting high profile drug convicts. He even revealed that her alleged boyfriend-driver was involved.
De Lima admitted she was close with her former driver but denied allegations of involvement in drugs.
To stop illegal activities inside prison, the government sent the prison guards for a retraining and sent some 300 members of the Special Action Force to guard the facility. CDG/rga
READ: Senators clash over questioning of confessed assassin at hearing