THE House of Representatives on Tuesday night adopted the committee on justice’s report recommending that the Department of Justice dig deeper into the role of Senator Leila de Lima and other government officials in the trafficking of illegal drugs from the national penitentiary.
The report was a product of House Resolution 105 which sought a probe into the proliferation of illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison.
The committee report is expected to be tackled on the floor and subjects to voting when Congress resumes session on Nov. 7. Congress goes on a Halloween break on Oct. 19.
The House committee on justice, chaired by former Liberal Party stalwart and Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, said in the report that the DoJ and the Ombudsman have the mandate to file criminal charges against those behind the illegal drug trade at the NBP.
“The investigation has clearly established the proliferation of drug syndicates and illegal drug trade in the NBP during the watch of then-DoJ Secretary Leila de Lima,” the report noted.
“Almost all witnesses testified on her involvement in the proliferation of drug syndicates and illegal drug trading inside NBP. Sufficient evidence point to her involvement and possible accountability in these illegal activities,” it said.
The committee report also showed that De Lima’s former driver and body guard, Ronnie Dayan, former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos and former Bucor Director Franklin Bucayu had involvement in any way into the illegal dug trading inside the NBP.
“However, whether or not he did this on orders of Senator Leila de Lima or on his [Dayan] own was not clearly established as he failed to appear at the investigations,” the report said.
Dayan has gone into hiding after the issue on the NBP controversy broke a few months ago. He is now being sought by authorities after a warrant of arrest was issued against him by the House committee justice.
Meanwhile, the committee has proposed several legislative remedies to prevent the repeat of the NBP controversy, including measures reimposing the death penalty, grant of exceptions to the Anti-Wiretapping Law, Bank Secrecy Law, and Anti-Money Laundering Act if matters to be investigated or prevented involve drug trafficking.
The panel also recommended for an additional funding for the purchase of state-of-the-art CCTV cameras, monitoring gadgets and other security measures as part of modernization of the prison facilities in the country.
This developed as House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez vowed to contest the committee report which appeared to have absolved de Lima of any liability or culpability on the issue.
“To be sure, we will be filing amendatory legislation to impose stricter standards in our correctional facilities. We welcome the input of psycholigists and other experienced medical professionals to assist us in making laws that rehabilitate prisoners, and give them tools to be integrated in society,” Suarez said in a news conference Tuesday.
“But we are investigating a multi-billion peso industry with powerfuk and well-connected people benefitting from this unspeakable arrangement,” Suarez said.
“The drug trade, on a commercial level, infilrated our national penitentiaries and transformed our prisoners as convenient venues for the illegal activities to proliferate. This happened with the knowledge and complicity of government officialas, as testified to by the drug personalities and other witnesses,” Suarez said.
Suarez stressed the Duterte administration “has taken a huge step in fighting this pandemic which has plagued us most especially during the last six years.”
“Let us not waste it by using meek words in this time of action,” Suarez added.