THE House committee on justice led by a former Liberal Party stalwart refused to recommend criminal charges against former Justice secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima, despite testimony from witnesses who tagged her as the protector of the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison.
Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, a former party mate of De Lima, stood by his assertion that the series of hearings were conducted in aid of legislation, not to pin De Lima down.
The committee approved the committee report via voice voting.
Umali, chairman of the panel, refused to comment on the report, saying House rules prohibit lawmakers from disclosing to the public details of a committee report before its release for submission to the rules committee, which calendars any bill, resolution or committee report to the floor for plenary action.
But several lawmakers said they were saddened by the decision of the Umali panel.
One House leader who asked not to be named said the congressional probe seemed like an exercise in futility.
“We had conducted hearings and invited several resources persons to establish the gravity and extent of illegal drug trade operations inside the Bilibid with former Justice secretary Leila de Lima having been aware of it, and yet there is no recommendation of culpability?” the lawmaker asked.
During the voting, Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin, a member of the minority bloc, was the only one who voted against the report.
Garbin said he was dismayed by the failure of the panel to recommend criminal charges against De Lima and other officials who tolerated or encouraged the illegal drug trade in the national penitentiary.
“The position of the minority is to necessarily identify all those officials and personalities involved in the proliferation of drugs in the New Bilibid Prison, and a recommendation must be arrived at on the prosecution of those accountable officers, as well as personalities involved in the drug proliferation,” he added.
Garbin also echoed the earlier pronouncement of Rep. Danilo Suarez, that the minority would submit a dissenting opinion which would be attached to the committee report, as provided for under House rules.
This developed as Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano, at a news conference, said he was wary that five of the 12 convicts who testified during the House probes on the proliferation of drugs inside NBP might be pardoned soon.
Alejano said Engelberto Durano, Nonilo Arile, Jaime Patio, Jojo Baligad, and Vicente Sy have pending applications for pardon and executive clemency.
Alejano urged the public to monitor the five convicts, saying they might go free any time.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin shared Alejano’s fears.
“These applications will be enhanced by their cooperation in giving their testimonies. This will be their possible ticket to freedom,” Lagman said.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Tuesday he would look into the applications of the five convicts for pardon or executive clemency.
“I don’t know yet [if we will recommend the approval of the pardon to the President]. I will study it first,” he said, in a text message.
Aguirre denied insinuations by administration critics that the five witnesses implicated De Lima in the NBP drug trade in exchange for granting their applications for clemency.
“Pardoning them was never considered,” Aguirre said.
“I was never aware of their pending applications for pardon. It was never brought to my attention,” he added.
Aguirre repeatedly said the government did not promise anything to the inmates when they decided to tag De Lima, high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian and other personalities in the NBP drug trade. With Rey E. Requejo