After four hearings totaling 47 hours, opposition congressmen assailed what they saw as inconsistencies in the testimonies of witnesses presented by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II that sought to link Sen. Leila de Lima to the illegal drug trade at New Bilibid Prison (NBP) when she was the justice secretary.
鈥淭he committee is in a quandary on how to appreciate the testimonies of Jaybee Sebastian vis-脿-vis Joenel Sanchez because the two are in total contradiction. One of them is lying,鈥� Rep. Reynaldo Umali, chair of the House of Representatives committee on justice, conceded at the close of its final hearing on Monday that lasted nearly 14 hours.
By then, the panel had presented 22 witnesses, including 14 NBP inmates.
Sebastian, a convicted kidnapper and car thief, testified that Sanchez had demanded and received money from him on behalf of De Lima.
He said he gave a total of P10 million to De Lima鈥檚 campaign kitty.
Sebastian also implied that De Lima and Sanchez, her former security aide from the Presidential Security Group (PSG), were lovers.
Sanchez had earlier told the committee that De Lima鈥檚 former driver and alleged lover, Ronnie Dayan, was her bagman.
Bagman
Sanchez denied the inmate鈥檚 accusation, saying that he did not ask for immunity unlike Sebastian. Moreover, Sanchez said he had 19 years of unblemished service at the PSG.
Sebastian and Herbert Colanggo, ironically rival gang leaders, both claimed that Sanchez was the senator鈥檚 bagman. While Sebastian said he did not know Dayan, Colanggo and the other convicts implicated Dayan.
Colanggo was among the 19 drug lords transferred to the National Bureau of Investigation jail after the December 2014 raid led by De Lima purportedly to dismantle the drug syndicates in the national penitentiary, a move the inmates said was aimed at consolidating Sebastian鈥檚 hold on the narcotics business so he could raise funds for her senatorial campaign.
Last week, De Lima said that Sebastian was a government asset. Sebastian denied this.
DRUG TRADE PROBE High-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian meets another resource person, former Bureau of Corrections officer in charge Rafael Ragos, during the hearing of the House of Representatives鈥� committee on justice,which is looking into the illegal drugs trade at New Bilibid Prison. The two gave conflicting testimonies. 鈥擱ICHARD A. REYES
Umali asked the Philippine National Police, NBI, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and PSG to 鈥済ive a position paper and guide the committee on how to treat these two statements.鈥�
鈥淛aybee Sebastian has been granted immunity. If he is found to be lying, he violated the condition of the immunity. If Joenel is lying, he has to be punished,鈥� Umali said.
鈥楬earsay鈥� testimony
Siquijor Rep. Ramon Rocamora, a former prosecutor, described as 鈥渉earsay鈥� 80 percent of the witnesses鈥� statements.
鈥淭he inconsistencies are so great that it really affects the weight of the evidence鈥� They are still under detention. You know the culture at the penitentiary. They have nothing to lose but everything to gain if they will testify in accordance to what the administration wants. The element of quid pro quo it is still there. You cannot deny that, no matter how much (Aguirre) said that they were not forced or guided,鈥� Rocamora told reporters.
Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano said that with the convicts detained at NBP, technically under the control of the Bureau of Corrections and the Department of Justice, 鈥渢hey are forced, polluted witnesses鈥� who could give testimonies under duress.
Opposition lawmakers led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said that they did not attend the congressional hearings because they believed it was a tool to persecute De Lima, a staunch critic of President Duterte.
鈥淭he purpose really was to link Senator De Lima to the drug deals and secure possible complaint against her,鈥� Lagman said.
Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice said the inquiry was a 鈥減ropaganda tool to cover up for the investigation in the extrajudicial killings.鈥�
Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat said the hearings were a 鈥減ublicity stunt.鈥� He said these cast a 鈥渃hilling effect鈥� on critics of the Duterte administration鈥檚 antidrug war, a warning 鈥渢hat this is what would happen to you.鈥�