spot_img
27.6 C
Philippines
Friday, March 29, 2024

Immunity from suit for Bilibid inmates

- Advertisement -

SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez granted immunity Tuesday to high-profile inmate Herbert Colangco and several other witnesses of the Justice Department who will testify at the congressional inquiry on the proliferation of illegal drugs at the National Bilibid Prison during the tenure of former Justice secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima.

During the preliminary inquiry conducted Tuesday by the House committee on justice chaired by Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, House Majority Floor Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas filed a motion recommending the granting of immunity to convicts Colangco, Noel Martinez, Jaime Pacho, as well as retired police official Rodolfo Magleo, acting Director Rafael Ragos of the Bureau of Corrections and National Bureau of Investigation agent Junior Ablen.

The motion was adopted by the justice panel without opposition.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez

“Upon the recommendation of the committee on justice pursuant to Section 4 of Republic  Act 6981 that your testimony is needed in the legislative investigation in aid of legislation on the proliferation of drug syndicates in the New Bilibid Prison…I hereby grant approval for your admission with your expressed consent to the Witness Protection Security and Benefit Act,” Fariñas said as he read a copy of the approval letter signed by Alvarez.

“Under Section 12 of the aforementioned act, you shall be entitled to the immunity from any and all criminal prosecution for the offense in which your testimony will be given or used, and all the rights and benefits provided in the same law, provided that you shall tell the truth and nothing but the truth,” Fariñas added as he continued reading the portion of Alvarez’s letter.

- Advertisement -

The decision of the panel came after Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre moved that three high-profile inmates from the national prisons and three other individuals be given immunity when they testify against De Lima so that any vital pieces of information they would share before the panel on the illegal drug trade at the national penitentiary would not be used against them.

“They are not asking for anything, any favor, and we did not promise them anything. But their lawyers approached this representation that if possible their clients be offered immunity while they are testifying before this hearing,” Aguirre told lawmakers.

“I agree that it is very reasonable. They wanted to cooperate, to tell what they know… I believe that they should be given immunity,” Aguirre said.

In granting immunity to the witnesses, he invoked Section 4 of the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit law which provides that “in case of legislative investigations in aid of legislation, a witness, with his express consent, may be admitted into the [Witness Protection] Program upon the recommendation of the legislative committee where his testimony is needed when in its judgment there is pressing necessity therefor: provided, that such recommendation is approved by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the case may be.”

Fariñas is among the co-authors to House Resolution 105 seeking a congressional probe in aid of legislation into the proliferation of drug syndicates at the NBP.

Fariñas underscored the importance for the Speaker to grant immunity to the six witnesses.

But Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, a lawyer, expressed serious alarm at the decision to extend immunity to the witnesses, saying the witnesses can narrate even baseless details to spare themselves from possible charges.

“We want to ferret out the truth on this criminally despicable and shameless drug operations inside the NBP, but the apparent grant of blanket immunity to these drug lords without a clear vetting system on their testimonies may become problematic in the end,” Zarate said.

“What would prevent these already convicted felons from saying anything just to save their skins?” Zarate asked. “We should be wary on these possibilities and ensure that the government would not be taken for a ride. Otherwise, it may even undermine the campaign against the proliferation of drugs and the nefarious clout of these drug syndicates.”

- Advertisement -

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles