Inmates link De Lima’s close aides to illegal Bilibid trade

High profile inmates turned witnesses Froilan Trestiza, Hans Anton Tan, Jojo Baligad, Noel Martinez and Jaime Pacho testify before Commitee on Justice hearing on National Bilibid Prison illegal drugs trade at the House of Representatives in Quezon City. INQUIRER PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

High-profile inmates at the New Bilibid Prison named persons purportedly close to Senator Leila De Lima who were involved in alleged illicit activities inside the national penitentiary.

During the second day of the House of Representatives justice committee inquiry over the proliferation of drugs at the national penitentiary on Wednesday, murder convict Hans Anton Tan testified that drug lord Peter Co paid millions of pesos to a certain Jose Adrian Dera from the National Capital Regional Police Office-Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs.

Tan said Co agreed to pay Dera, or known as “JAD,” P1 million for the release of Co’s relatives who were arrested by the NCRPO after a test-buy came out positive.

Dera introduced himself as De Lima’s nephew now working as De Lima’s security, Tan said.

Tan added that he later found out that Co had been paying Dera with millions of pesos in the run up to De Lima’s senatorial campaign.

“Later on, I found out Peter also gave JAD another P1 million for some other reason. In total, I found out Peter has given JAD around P5 million throughout the entire time until the senatorial elections,” Tan said.

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Tan said he has proof Dera was visiting him at the Bilibid Building 14. He added that Co has proof Dera claimed P1 million from Co through a deposit slip of the amount to Dera’s bank account.

Tan added that he helped Dera acquire five kilos of shabu during the entire campaign period.

Meanwhile, kidnapping convict Froilan Trestiza also testified that a certain Danilo Martinez, who served as a pastor in the Bilibid, introduced himself as a consultant for De Lima when the latter was justice secretary.

Trestiza said in Nov. 2012, Martinez threatened him to pay P10,000 to P20,000 or else he would be “thrown out”

Martinez also tried to pin him down for a grenade-throwing incident at the Bilibid even though he has always paid the money.

Trestiza said in Jan. 2013, he and 20 other high-profile inmates were called to the office of the National Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director General Rafael Ragos and were told to pay a weekly quota of P100,000 to intelligence officer Jun Ablan, who was Ragos’ driver and escort. CDG

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