Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON
SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez and Sen. Leila de Lima exchanged barbs on Sunday as the House of Representatives prepared to begin its inquiry into the senator鈥檚 alleged links to illegal drug syndicates聽 operating inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
It鈥檚聽 an 鈥渋nquisition straight from the dark ages,鈥澛� said De Lima, who has denied the allegations against her.
Alvarez, talking to reporters in Leyte on Saturday, challenged De Lima to submit herself to the House investigation to prove her innocence.
鈥淗indi puwede ngawa nang ngawa ka lang diyan at sasabihin mo wala kang kasalanan (Simply denying the allegations is not enough),鈥� Alvarez said, adding, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not how democracy works.鈥�
De Lima responded:聽 The House inquiry is nothing but Duterte鈥檚 kangaroo court meant to crucify me on false allegations.
鈥淭he House conducting this inquiry to try me before false witnesses is not democracy. The House conducting this inquiry is Duterte鈥檚 kangaroo court conducting the Salem witch trials and burning me at the stake. This is not democracy, this is an inquisition straight from the dark ages,鈥� De Lima said on Sunday.
鈥淎s far as I know I am not on trial. No formal complaint has been filed against me. But that is the purpose of their inquiry with all the so-called Bilibid witnesses all lined up to be presented in the House inquiry,鈥� added the former justice secretary.
The President鈥檚 allegations linking her to the illegal drug trade at the NBP came as De Lima, who heads the Senate committee on justice, began her own inquiry into the extrajudicial killings and other violations of human rights in Mr. Duterte鈥檚 brutal war on drugs.
Money from prison
The President had said that De Lima鈥檚 driver, whom he claimed was also her lover, was reportedly the one collecting the money from the NBP.
Alvarez, a close ally of the President聽 said the House would also summon Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to the hearings, as well as the witnesses聽 the Department of Justice already has in custody.
Aguirre said last week that six witnesses, among them, prisoners, jail guards and even De Lima鈥檚 鈥渇riends,鈥� were ready to testify in the House inquiry and show proof that she received drug money from the illicit prison trade during her time as justice secretary.
The DOJ, through the Bureau of Corrections, oversees the NBP.
De Lima said the House did not have a 鈥渓egitimate鈥� cause for conducting such a legislative investigation.
Alvarez, on the other hand,聽 said the House committees were expected 鈥渢o recommend laws to stop drug syndicates from operating inside the Bilibid.鈥� He agreed that lawmakers did not have prosecutorial powers and could only investigate matters in aid of legislation.
He conceded the House could not force De Lima to appear at the inquiry following 鈥渋nterparliamentary courtesy.鈥� With a report from聽 Connie E. Fernandez, Inquirer Visayas