Bilibid probe turned war on drugs into war vs De Lima—solon

President Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Leila de Lima INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

A solon who was a former member of the Liberal Party lamented that the House of Representatives inquiry into the Bilibid drug trade has changed the administration’s war on drugs into war against De Lima.

In his interpellation, Cebu Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa on Wednesday said the witnesses presented by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre seemed to share the common theme of pinning down De Lima for allegedly earning millions from the Bilibid drug trade.

“My point here is it seems that (based on) their sworn statements … there is an effort on the part of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make the flow of the statements point to De Lima,” said Abellanosa, who ran under the Liberal Party banner in the last elections but jumped to the new ruling party.

Abellanosa said while he lauded Vitaliano for helping in the war against drugs being waged by President Rodrigo Duterte, the justice secretary seemed to be also helping the President’s war against De Lima.

Duterte had linked De Lima to the drug trade and accused her of being an “immoral” woman for having a relationship with her driver, who was also her alleged bagman.

On the other hand, De Lima, back when she was human rights chief, investigated Duterte for his alleged links to the vigilante group Davao Death Squad.

“I believe the present DOJ is very sincere in its efforts to help the President. But the initial efforts right now that you are sharing with this committee, I’m afraid you’re also helping the President in his war against De Lima,” Abellanosa said.

In response, Aguirre refuted the congressman’s claim and said the DOJ’s investigation into the Bilibid drug trade does not intend to target a certain person.

Aguirre said the witnesses’ testimony seemed to point at De Lima because that was what the evidence was pointing at on who is responsible for allowing the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary.

“We are aware that this is a congressional investigation to investigate the proliferation of drugs inside the Bilibid, in aid of legislation. Sabi ko nga po, wala kaming pinupuro rito kung sinumang personalidad (Like I said, we are not pointing to any personality). What we’re trying to do here is to provide witnesses or facts,” Aguirre said.

“Sa paggawa namin dito, syempre po hindi maaaring hindi tamaan ang tao kasi ‘yung may kagagagawan dun, dun pupunta ‘yan… Kung ‘yang affidavit nila ay patungkol sa culpability ni Sec. De Lima, wala akong kinalaman dun. Kung papunta dun sapagkat siguro ‘yun ang hinihingi ng ebidensiya,” Aguirre added.

(In doing this, of course it’s not possible not to clash with a person because they are the ones who are responsible, it will go there… If their affidavit is about the culpability of Sec. De Lima, I had nothing to do with it. If it’s headed there maybe that’s what the evidence is asking for.)

Abellanosa said he fears the department may be losing focus by targeting De Lima amid the administration’s campaign against criminality and drugs.

“Our focus is on De Lima. I’m afraid and apprehensive we’ll miss the point,” Abellanosa said.

During the two-day House inquiry, Aguirre presented high-profile convicts such as Herbert Colangco, and National Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director General Rafael Ragos, who accused De Lima of earning millions of pesos from the drug trade operated by her favored drug lord JB/Jaybee Sebastian. JE