Enough evidence vs Leila –Sen. Ping

MANILA, Philippines – There is enough evidence for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file a case against Sen. Leila de Lima for possible violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said yesterday.

Lacson said he was able to go over the affidavits of the witnesses the DOJ presented yesterday at the House of Representatives, particularly those on De Lima.

“I took special notice of the narrations of (National Bureau of Investigation) agent Jovencio Ablen Jr. and his superior while detailed at the NBP (New Bilibid Prison), deputy director Rafael Ragos, not to mention those of Colangco, Magleo and the other high-profile inmates,” Lacson said, referring to convicts Herbert Colangco and Rodolfo Magleo.

“My own assessment of the evidentiary value of those affidavits, and I could fairly conclude, based on some verified and verifiable facts, that those allegations are credible enough to get past the probable cause requirement to file a criminal information in any court of law,” he added.

Last Monday, an overwhelming majority of the senators voted to remove De Lima as chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights in light of allegations that she was using the committee for political purposes, specifically to destroy the reputation of President Duterte.

De Lima initiated an inquiry into the alleged extrajudicial and summary killings of suspected drug pushers under the current administration’s war on drugs.

In the third hearing of the committee, De Lima presented a self-confessed killer, Edgar Matobato, who claimed to be a member of the so-called Davao death squad (DDS).

Matobato claimed the DDS took its orders from Duterte when he was still mayor of Davao City, as well as his son, incumbent vice mayor Paolo Duterte.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano would later deliver a privilege speech denouncing the actions of De Lima as chair of the committee.

Asked if De Lima could face expulsion as a senator if she is charged by the DOJ, Lacson said that expulsion could only be a consequence of an ethics committee action.

“But, in case she’s indicted for an unbailable offense such as what’s provided for in RA 9165, then she won’t be able to perform her duties as a senator, just like our former colleagues who are facing plunder cases with the Sandiganbayan,” Lacson said, referring to former senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr., who are detained in Camp Crame.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said the action taken against De Lima was akin to a reprimand on the part of the Senate.

“It’s best that we have an impartial chair, specially in controversial issues,” Sotto said.

He said that the Senate should not be seen as being subservient to the administration just because of its action against De Lima.

“Independence from both subservience and antagonism is why we acted. Independence is not just confined to not being supportive of the President. It could also be antagonistic and adversarial to the President and we do not want both,” Sotto said.

“There will always be two sides of an issue and either side should respect the views, no matter how unreasonable and vicious they may be,” Lacson, for his part, said.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the neutrality of De Lima, based on the way she had been conducting the hearings, was questionable. He said this was the reason why he voted for the removal of De Lima as committee chair.

He said the hearings should continue but Matobato should no longer be called to testify.

Stopping insult

Presidential legal adviser Salvador Panelo, for his part, said Senate majority members who removed De Lima as committee chair were merely stopping her from further besmirching the name of the President.

He criticized De Lima for her unfounded and malicious accusations against the President.

He also said the former justice secretary was using the Senate committee on justice and human rights for personal reasons.

“The ouster of Senator De Lima as chair of the committee on justice is a testament to the overwhelming majority members of the Senate’s sense of propriety that it will not countenance a member’s propensity for besmirching the reputation of President Duterte by unfounded and malicious imputations, using the committee as tool to achieve her end,” Panelo said.

Panelo unleashed a mouthful against De Lima for pushing for an inquiry into the extrajudicial killings in Davao City when the President was still mayor, and up until he became president.

Her removal as committee chair, Panelo said, “is a come uppance or a deserved rebuke from her peers in the Senate.”

He stressed Duterte does not interfere in the affairs of an equal branch of the government. “Such intrusion is anathema to his character,” Panelo added.

He also scored De Lima for blaming the President for her ouster.

“Not wanting to blame herself for creating the circumstances that led to her ouster, De Lima points to PRRD as her scapegoat for her present predicament. Getting two thirds negative vote of her own colleagues to remove her from the chair of the committee on justice is eloquent proof of her undoing and reckless abuse of her position as senator,” Panelo said.

The senator should have inhibited herself from chairing the Senate committee on justice and human rights, he added.

Panelo pointed out that De Lima had “previously positioned herself as a political adversary” of the President.

He recalled the rift between Duterte and De Lima started way back, to the time when she was chair of the Commission on Human Rights.

In a bid to illustrate De Lima’s bias against Duterte, Panelo noted her having “embarked on a biased and unsuccessful investigation of extrajudicial killings in Davao City, concluding that the then Davao City mayor Duterte was behind the death squad even before she commenced her probe.”

“Her being the subject of a House inquiry on her alleged involvement in the proliferation of illegal drug activities in the national penitentiary during her watch as secretary of justice should have heightened her sense of delicadeza and removed herself from the justice committee instead of diminishing it and clinging like a leech to the investigating body,” Panelo said.

‘Little Las Vegas, drug trade center’

MANILA, Philippines – There were concerts featuring celebrity entertainers, beer flowed, “models” were available and business – the drug business – was conducted as money changed hands freely.

That was the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa, the “center of drug operations” in the Philippines, with its maximum-security compound for notorious convicts known as “Little Las Vegas” during Sen. Leila de Lima’s time as justice secretary, two inmate-witnesses at a House hearing disclosed yesterday.

“It was the drug trade center of the Philippines during the time of then secretary De Lima, because drug trading in the entire Philippines was done in the maximum security compound,” retired police major and kidnap convict Rodolfo Magleo said in Filipino when he testified before the House committee on justice yesterday.

The committee, chaired by Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali, was hearing allegations of the proliferation of illegal drugs at the NBP during De Lima’s watch. The NBP is under the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Speaking from Davao City, President Duterte said he was right all along about the proliferation of illegal drugs at the NBP during De Lima’s time as DOJ chief.

“During the term of de Lima, the maximum security compound was called the Little Las Vegas. It was called Little Las Vegas because many concerts were held inside,” Magleo said.

Another witness-inmate, Herbert Colangco, confirmed Magleo’s account and bragged that he was the only VIP inmate who managed to sneak truckloads of beer in cans into the NBP and sold them for P10,000 per box.

Colangco also bragged about being able to bring in more than the allowable 300 guests for concerts within the NBP compound.

Magleo said celebrities like Freddie Aguilar, Sharon Cuneta, the Mocha Girls and Ethel Booba, among many others, had performed at the maximum-security compound.

Colangco, in his testimony, also boasted about hiring from outside the services of “models” for P25,000 each, and offering each model for P75,000 to moneyed inmates during special events at the NBP.

Both Magleo and Colangco testified De Lima’s contact inside the NBP was convicted drug lord Jaybee Sebastian, who had boasted to Magleo on several occasions that he could transfer inmates on a whim, citing the case of the so-called “Bilibid 19.”

Magleo said he personally saw De Lima spend two to three hours inside the kubol (hut) of Sebastian, adding that he found this “abnormal.”

While he had no proof De Lima’s affair with her driver Ronnie Dayan, Magleo said he “sensed” something was “intimate.”

“What’s striking to me was the transfer of the Bilibid 19 to the NBI headquarters. I saw how good he (Sebastian) was. He is the king of drug lords,” Magleo said in Filipino.

Magleo said he decided to come out in the open in support of President Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.

Sebastian – to whom he had been a “confidante” – paid De Lima P10 million for her help in removing his drug lord competitors, Magleo added.

Colangco said he was surprised when they were rounded up one day in the wee hours in preparation for their transfer to the NBI. He said he sought an audience with De Lima, who assured him the transfer would only be “temporary.”

“I told her thank you very much. The temporary turned out to be eight months,” he said.

He added he had to give in to the demand of Dayan for higher “payola” so he wouldn’t be moved from Muntinlupa.

“I said Ma’am, Dayan’s instruction to Joenel, I’ll go with it. Just don’t have me transferred,” Colangco said in Filipino, referring to the regular delivery of what he called “PR payola” to help De Lima’s senatorial campaign in the May 2016 elections. Joenel was reportedly Joenel Sanchez, De Lima’s aide.

“It hurts a lot, it’s too much. It seems they’re never contented,” he added, lamenting their being kicked out of their drug business despite paying bribe money.

Colangco called Sanchez De Lima’s “bagman” who had facilitated a conversation with the then DOJ chief through Globe postpaid number 0917-8421931.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III said the number was indeed registered with the DOJ.

Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia confirmed the number was De Lima’s in her contact list.

Colangco said he has in his possession a copy of the “receipt” for the P5,000 money transfer he sent to Sanchez, from the original P20,000 the latter demanded.

He likewise implicated in the drug trade in the NBP former Justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan, who exercised administrative supervision over the NBP, as well as former Bureau of Corrections director Franklin Bucayu.

A certain Susan from Baraan’s technical office reportedly received drug money for him in exchange for the inmates’ not getting transferred to the maximum-security compound.

On one occasion, Colangco said Baraan’s office asked for P500,000 to facilitate the transfer of one Chinese convict from the maximum compound to medium security. “So I told the drug lord, they’re demanding P800,000, so I can have P300,000 for payola.”

‘I told you so’

In Davao City, President Duterte said he watched a portion of the House hearing and the illegal drug trade could not have flourished at the NBP without De Lima’s knowledge.

He stressed he was not saying that De Lima was into the illegal drug trade herself.

The President shared his opinion of what transpired in the House hearing with soldiers of the 10th Infantry Division at Camp Manuel Yan, Mawab, Compostela Valley.

Later in the night – this time with local officials in attendance – the President voiced his concern over the seriousness of the drug problem.

“If you listen to the TV right now and you listen and watch the House hearing on the illegal drug trade, you will know how widespread the problem is,” the President told a gathering of local officials at the SMX convention center in SM Lanang Premiere in Davao City.

“I was the favorite whipping boy of De Lima, lumaki agad ang ulo niya (it got to her head) when former president Gloria Arroyo appointed her to the CHR (Commission on Human Rights),” he said. 

Duterte 'still angry' over Davao blast, says PNP chief

President Rodrigo Duterte and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa had their first post-Davao blast meeting Saturday night which lasted into the early hours of Sunday.

Dela Rosa briefed Duterte on the progress of PNP's probe into the blast.

"Wala kaming ibang pinagusapan kung 'di tungkol sa bombing. Mostly sa ano pinag-usapan, nasa mga strategic policies at tsaka 'yung mga tactics rin na pinagusapan, so they are more or less classified. So sa amin nalang muna 'yun. It was all about the incident," Dela Rosa.

(We only talked about the bombing. We mostly talked of strategic policies, and the tactics we discussed are more or less classified information. The discussion was all about the incident.)

Dela Rosa also said the commander-in-chief is still angry over the incident.

"Expected natin na galit pa rin, galit sa pangyayari. Pag siya'y galit talaga pinapakita niya sa siya'y naiinis, siya'y nagagalit. Hindi ko na kailangan pang sabihin ang mga detalye," Dela Rosa said.

(He is still angry about the incident, as we expected. If he is really angry, he will show his frustration, his anger. I don't need to reveal the details.)

According to Dela Rosa, the President expected diversionary tactics amid the military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).

Dela Rosa earlier said they acknowledge the ASG's early claims for the attack but they are not ruling out other perpetrators as investigations and validations are still ongoing.

"Sabi niya, this is not the first time na nangyari sa Davao, kaya expected na 'yan pag nagkakaroon ng operation doon sa kabilang dako, maghahanap ng diversionary 'yung mga kalaban," Dela Rosa said.

(He says this is not the first time this happened in Davao, that's why we expect that when there is an operation, the enemy will look for diversionary tactics.)

Dela Rosa also said that the incident has taken an emotional toll for both him and the President considering that Davao is their "home base."

"It's quite draining. Emotionally draining. Isipin mo naman na bakit hahantong sa na mga innocent lives were lost dahil nga dito sa pangyayari sa ito. Sana naman hindi na madagdagan pa ng inosenteng civilian ang mawawala dahil dito," Dela Rosa said.

(It is quite draining, emotionally draining. Why did it have to reach this point, that innocent lives were lost? We hope that no more innocent civilians will be lost because of this.)

It’s final, NIA returns to Agriculture department

“Let me just make this very clear. The President has already agreed. Secretary [Leoncio] Evasco has already agreed -- that NIA should be brought back to the Department of Agriculture,” said Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol in an interview with reporters late Tuesday.

Mr. Piñol earlier said he has submitted to the President a memorandum seeking the transfer of the NIA, the National Food Authority (NFA), the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, and the Philippine Coconut Authority for “effective operations” of the DA.

The four agencies currently fall under the Office of the President after an executive order issued in 2014 by then President Benigno S. C. Aquino III ordered a revamp at the Agriculture department which at the time faced charges of corruption and cronyism.

“Pero sinabi ko na sa kanila... sinabi ko na kay presidente [But I already told them, I already told the president], ‘Mr. President, NIA is a really a vital component of Philippine agriculture,’” Mr. Piñol said.

The Agriculture chief meanwhile said he “can live without NFA,” given what he described as the grains agency’s “failure to stabilise the price” of rice.

Mr. Piñol has hammered out a plan to attain the government’s rice self-sufficiency target, which effectively would mean the NFA will have a lesser role.

Duterte unshaken by alleged kill plot

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte is unperturbed by an alleged assassination threat against him that was bared Thursday by a suspected gunrunner, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

Abella said such threats are "not new" to the President and that he "eats" these for breakfast.
"He seems to be pretty much untouched by all these threats. Not worried. Concerned but not worried," the official said.

Duterte will also not lessen his provincial trips, Abella added.

A firearms smuggling suspect, who is now under police custody, claimed Thursday that one of his syndicate’s customers was planning to kill the President.


Wilford Palma said the customer, whom he did not identify, ordered “low-end” gun parts for Duterte's assassination.

An estimated P4.5 million in gun parts were seized from Palma and his boss in Bacolod City.
Duterte earlier claimed that high-profile drug lords have raised as much as P1 billion to have him killed, along with police chief, Director General Ronald dela Rosa and other officials.

Duterte says he will match drug lords' bounty


A group of drug lords detained at the Maximum Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prison has since denied plotting to kill the Chief Executive.

De Lima cries harassment as ex-staff testify vs her

Senator Leila De Lima on Thursday cried harassment as two of her former staff at the Department of Justice were reportedly asked by the National Bureau of Investigation to testify against her for her alleged involvement in the drug trade.

The two DOJ staff, identified as Jong Caranto and Bogs Obuyes, have executed affidavits claiming that they were told by then secretary De Lima to deposit millions of pesos in a bank account that was not under her name, a report by the Philippine Star said.

De Lima said the action of the two DOJ staff was plain harassment.

"Parang pinapaamin sa kanila na ako nagpabukas noon para ipadaan ang mga galing sa convicts na mga drug lords. Jesus Christ," said de Lima.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier tagged de Lima as a protector of drug lords.

The DOJ and the House of Representatives are conducting their respective investigations on the proliferation of illegal drugs at the New Bilibid Prison during the previous administration.

De Lima said the House probe was meant to harass her as she is a strong critic of Duterte's war on drugs, but House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez maintains the investigation is not singling out de Lima.

Meanwhile, de Lima said she might consider the request of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano to not hold a Senate hearing on alleged drug-related extra-judicial killings while Duterte is on a trip to Brunei, Laos, and Indonesia this month.

She, however, set a condition.

"Sana nga, if you're asking, ang pinakatamang gawin ay mag-ceasefire sa patayan," said de Lima.

The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights chaired by De Lima is set to resume its hearing on September 7 and not September 5 as earlier announced.

She said her committee needs more time to prepare for the third hearing.

Suspect gun smuggling reveals alleged Duterte kill plot

MANILA – A firearms smuggling suspect, who is under police custody, claimed on Thursday that one of his syndicate’s customers was planning to kill President Rodrigo Duterte.

Wilford Palma said the customer, whom he did not identify, planned to order “low-end” gun parts. “Sabi niya sa akin, yun daw gagamitin sa assassination ni President Duterte [He told me it will be used in the assassination of President Duterte].”

Palma made the revelation as he was presented to the media by Director General Ronald dela Rosa, the national police chief. Palma and his boss were arrested in Bacolod City after local authorities were tipped off by US Homeland Security.

Dela Rosa said no details were immediately available on the person who was allegedly plotting to kill the President.

“Hindi pa namin talaga matumbok itong tao na ito pero most likely, hindi siguro siya yung gun for hire. Baka inutusan lang ito ng sindikato na bumili ng ganun for that purpose [We can’t positively identify this person yet but it is unlikely that he is the gun for hire. He could have been asked by a syndicate to buy the parts for that purpose],” he said.

Duterte, who is leading a bloody war against drugs, had previously acknowledged alleged threats to his life as well as to Dela Rosa, who is at the forefront of the campaign.

An estimated P4.5 million in gun parts were seized from Palma and his boss in Bacolod City, Dela Rosa said.