JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Friday said eight high-profile inmates from the national penitentiary who will testify against Senator Leila de Lima have already been transferred to a military camp.
Aguirre revealed that the two inmates who will testify against De Lima include convicted robber-turned-singer Herbert Colangco and convicted kidnapper Noel Martinez, leader of the Genuine Ilocano, one of the biggest gangs inside the New Bilibid Prison.
Colangco and Martinez belonged to the so-called Bilibid 19, high-profile inmates transferred to the National Bureau of Investigation after authorities found out that they managed to live a posh lifestyle in jail.
From NBI detention, they were transferred to Building 14, a highly secure facility inside Bilbid’s Maximum Security Compound, isolated from other inmates.
Aguirre said 10 to 12 high-profile inmates will testify against De Lima during the legislative investigation by the House of Representatives next week on the proliferation of illegal drugs at National Bilibid Prison.
The other high-profile inmates will be coming from other penal colonies under the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).
Aguirre hinted that the witnesses will testify how the money was collected from them, a practice that started in 2013, allegedly in preparation for De Lima’s 2016 Senate run.
The inmates will also narrate how convicted car thief Jaybee Sebastian ordered them to collect funds and remit sales from drugs to De Lima’s campaign kitty.
“Sebastian ordered them to sell 20-30 kilos of shabu a month to collect funds. They even had disagreement because of that,” Aguirre said.
Despite living a posh lifestyle, Sebastian was not among the 19 inmates transferred to the NBI. He was only transferred to Building 14 in October last year.
“De Lima went to the Bilibid. She didn’t oversee any inspection, but she went straight to Jaybee Sebastian’s hut,” the Aguirre said.
The Justice secretary said the witnesses had their own lawyers, and said he has not spoken with them, nor promised them any concessions or benefits in exchange for their testimony.
“They volunteered to testify. Their affidavits were handwritten and signed and these were all recorded in a video,” Aguirre said.
On Friday, Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said the supply of illegal drugs in the country has gone down by 80 percent to 90 percent as a result of the government’s war on drugs.
“The good news is that we have significantly reduced the supply of illegal drugs in the country by some 80 to 90 percent,” Dela Rosa said in Legazpi City. “We are posting tremendous gains and slowly but surely winning the streets from the illegal drug menace.”
“If anyone is more afraid these days, these are the people who are involved in the illegal drug trade that their days are numbered because they may be arrested and jailed anytime,” he added as he urged police to build on the gains of the last two months.
“If we started strong the past two months, let us continue even stronger in the next four months. The President is confident that we will win this war in six months and we are one with him in this effort,” he said.
Since July 1, Dela Rosa said 16,891 drug suspects have been arrested while 712,848 have surrendered.
The government has shrugged off criticisms of the violence and vowed to keep to its game plan.
Dela Rosa urged police to improve their marksmanship to keep themselves alive and to prevent “collateral damage,” although he also reminded them that “your duty is to catch [criminals] and put them behind bars to face the full force of the law.”
He also vowed to give “more life and energy” to the campaign against illegal gambling.