House probe report OK’d

Rep. Reynaldo Umali (left), chair of the House committee on justice, confers with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre and Public Attorneys Office chief Persida Acosta during the congressional hearing on drug trafficking activities at New Bilibid Prison. RICHARD A. REYES/Philippine Daily Inquirer file photo

The House of Representatives committee on justice on Tuesday approved its report on its hearings on the proliferation of illegal drugs at New Bilibid Prison (NBP), but Rep. Reynaldo Umali declined to state whether it recommended the prosecution of Sen. Leila de Lima for irregularities there while she was justice secretary under the previous Aquino administration.

Umali, the panel chair, said he was prohibited from releasing the report, which was later submitted to the committee on rules. It will be tackled by the plenary on Wednesday.

But Umali did say that the report emphasized the proliferation of illegal drugs at NBP and noted that there were government officials involved in it based on the testimonies of the witnesses, including inmates. —NIKKO DIZON