Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre tells Senator Leila de Lima just to state the facts and avoid being hysterical.
Aguirre answered questions from newsmen at the NAIA who were covering President Rodrigo Duterte’s departure for Vietnam.
Aguirre said, it has just been hours since the riot at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) and yet the senator has already concluded that it was staged.
He asked De Lima, “hintayin mo muna ang report. Para kang hindi abugado. If magiging hysterical ka, lalong hindi ka maiintindihan ng tao.”
He added, it is not possible for Duterte officials like him to invent a stabbing incident inside the prison complex.
He explained, “we want Jaybee Sebastian alive. Mawawalan ng connection si De Lima to drugs kapag namatay si Jaybee. Who will benefit? Kaya nga siya takot na takot (referring to De Lima.)”
Sebastian was among those injured in the NBP riot.
Aguirre also noted, the incident seemed to be a result of a fight among prisoners.
He said, “wala pang written report. Parang lumalabas doon, saksakan talaga.”
As for the NBP inmates who testified in the House probe on drugs, the Secretary also said, the behaviors of the prisoners showed that they were not forced or intimidated or harassed by those who asked them to appear in the investigation.
“Hindi ba nakita nyo, kalmado sila?” he noted.