Pangasinan source of NBP drugs – Rody

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Pangasinan appears to have been the principal source of illegal drugs at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) during the previous administration, with its then governor and provincial administrator allegedly pulling strings under the protection of then justice secretary Leila de Lima.

This was revealed in the so-called drug matrix released before dawn yesterday by President Duterte.

With the matrix made public, Duterte said the political career of now Senator De Lima was finished.

Former Pangasinan governor and now congressman Amado Espino Jr., suspended provincial administrator Rafael Baraan and his brother former justice undersecretary Francis Baraan were also in Duterte’s drug matrix.

Likewise mentioned were Urbiztondo, Pangasinan Mayor Raul Sison, former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayu and De Lima’s former driver Ronnie Palisoc Dayan.

Duterte did not say how or where he got the information in the matrix, which he released at 3:30 a.m. after being egged on by reporters who followed him to a fruit stand in Magsaysay Park.

He had to send somebody to get the matrix from his house.

The President said the matrix explains the illegal drug network at the NBP when De Lima was still justice chief and had control over the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), which runs the national penitentiary.

The President’s drug matrix indicated Dayan had been a lover of De Lima even when she was still chair of the Commission on Human Rights.

As the President pointed out, the matrix also showed that Dayan allegedly received monthly payola from Bucayu through a certain Senior Police Officer 1 Palisoc. It was not stated in the matrix if Palisoc is related to Dayan, whose middle name is Palisoc.

The President has accused De Lima’s former driver and bodyguard of being her link to convicted drug lords, who were supposedly allowed to run their illegal operations inside the NBP when she was justice secretary.

In the drug matrix, Dayan was described as “a known drug user in Urbiztondo” who was able to get a house and lot, a number of vehicles and money from De Lima.

Bucayu was described as an intermediary between De Lima and Espino.

Baraan’s brother Rafael, the provincial administrator when Espino was governor, was allegedly used to cover for the latter’s illegal activities.

Espino, according to the matrix, is out on bail on graft charges. He is said to be the richest politician in Northern Luzon and was involved in black sand mining, quarrying and the illegal numbers game jueteng.

His trusted aide Rafael Baraan was said to have been dismissed from office by the Office of the Ombudsman because of his alleged involvement in black sand mining and quarrying.

In a late night press conference in Davao City, Duterte said De Lima’s political career is over following revelations of her alleged involvement in illegal drugs.

“De Lima, you are finished. You are done,” the President said. “Now, the truth is out. The cat is out of the bag.”

Duterte said De Lima keeps on yakking about human rights violations while policemen are dying during encounters with drug offenders.

“She violated human rights. She started everything, not only me. She destroyed many Filipinos,” the Chief Executive said.

He, however, acknowledged that his nemesis was “a fighter.”

De Lima, a former justice secretary and Commission on Human Rights chair, ranked 12th  in the 2016 senatorial race with 14.4 million votes.

Six witnesses

Expected to bolster Duterte’s allegations against De Lima and the others were testimonies of at least six witnesses, the Department of Justice said.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the witnesses were inmates, prison guards and friends of De Lima and Dayan.

“The inmates are still there and so are the guards and their friends, well at least their former friends,” Aguirre told reporters at the Senate yesterday.

The affidavits of the six witnesses, he said, would be presented to the House of Representatives when it starts its hearings on the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the NBP during the previous administration.

Based on what he has read in the affidavits, Aguirre said De Lima could be charged with violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

He said the testimonies touched on the collection of drug money from some high-profile inmates, which allegedly went to De Lima and Dayan.

Citing the testimony of one of the witnesses, Aguirre said the cash collected was deposited in the bank account of someone else but the intended recipient was De Lima.

“She was named by the witnesses. One witness is already finished with his statement and there was something about money being deposited to some bank accounts. But we will go to the details after these affidavits have been submitted to me,” Aguirre said.

He said the drug money that went to De Lima and some other DOJ officials did not come from drug lords alone.

Last Saturday, De Lima said she received information about some people going around the NBP looking for possible witnesses against her.

De Lima said whatever testimonies they would gather against her would be definitely false and fabricated. 

“We are being flooded with information. The information provided by these people were volunteered. So we have to consolidate all of these information. They should be clarified and that’s the only time that we’re going to prepare the complaints to be investigated by the DOJ,” Aguirre said. “Definitely there will be bank accounts to be disclosed by them.”

The DOJ chief said concerned inmates have requested to be transferred to a different facility for fear of retribution.

Duterte earlier criticized De Lima for being immoral, specifically for taking Dayan as her lover despite his being married at the time they began their relationship.

Due process

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez assured Espino he would be accorded due process.

“Of course we have to look into that,” Alvarez said, referring to Espino’s possible drug links.

“It doesn’t mean that when your name is mentioned, we in Congress will automatically do something drastic. We have proper committees that will look into that complaint,” he told reporters.

The Davao del Norte congressman said he might be able to talk with Espino on Aug. 30.

Meanwhile, Espino’s lawyer has withdrawn from the congressman’s graft case with the Sandiganbayan.

The case stemmed from his alleged involvement in illegal black sand mining activities in Pangasinan in 2011.

Alexander Poblador of the Poblador, Bautista, and Reyes Law Office, through a notice, informed the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division that he would no longer be representing Espino and his co-accused Rafael Baraan and Alvin Bigay.

He informed the Sandiganbayan to send all documents like orders, rulings and pleadings to the Quiason, Macalintal, Barot, Torres, Ibarra, Sison and Damaso Law Office in Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Poblador did not cite his reason for withdrawing from Espino’s case.

Court insiders said lawyers are not required to explain a decision to withdraw from cases as such decision is a matter between a lawyer and his client.

Last month, Espino pleaded not guilty to the graft charges. Pre-trial hearings are set for Sept. 20 to 22.

Graft investigators said Espino issued a mineral ore export permit in favor of a private firm which, along with another mining company, was not registered with the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board.

Probers said the former governor and his co-accused should be held liable for authorizing unlawful magnetite extraction activities in favor of an unqualified contractor.

The Office of the Ombudsman has asked the Sandiganbayan to place Espino under mandatory preventive suspension while his case is pending. With Marvin Sy, Michael Punongbayan, Alexis Romero, Delon Porcalla