Bishop feels insulted by ruling clearing drug kingpins

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

STA. BARBARA, Pangasinan – “I was insulted as a Filipino,” Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said on Thursday as he reacted to the decision of a Department of Justice (DOJ) panel of prosecutors dismissing drug-trafficking charges against several high-profile suspects.

Citing weak evidence, the prosecutors cleared, as early as Dec. 20 last year, confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, Cebu businessman Peter Lim and convicted drug lord Peter Co of the drug trafficking charges.

“How could we say that there was no sufficient proof when he had already admitted that he was a drug lord,” said Villegas, referring to Espinosa’s confession during a Senate hearing last year.

Also cleared were Lovely Impal, Marcelo Adorco, Max Miro, Ruel Malindangan, Jun Pepito and other personalities known only by their aliases.

“What more proof do we need? The decision was insulting,” said Villegas shortly after the Mass he celebrated for the opening of this year’s Umaani (Farmers’) Festival here. —GABRIEL CARDINOZA