House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Wednesday said there are forces trying to block high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian from testifying in the House probe on the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Alvarez made the statement in grief over the riot inside the national penitentiary in which a high-profile inmate was killed and three others are injured.
The riot in the highly-secured Building 14 resulted in the death of convicted drug lord Tony Co, while three injured were his fellow inmates Vicente Sy, Peter Co and Jaybee Sebastian.
Prior to the incident, Sebastian was set to testify in the next hearing of the House justice committee on October 5.
Several inmates who testified in the House probe on the proliferation of illegal drugs at the NBP tagged Sebastian as the alleged pointman of then justice secretary Leila de Lima in raising funds for her senatorial campaign through the drug trade.
According to Alvarez, the stabbing does not appear to be a regular case of violence among the inmates inside the NBP, noting that there were no reports of riots involving high-profile inmates in the NBP in the past few years.
Alvarez also deed that the riot might be connected to the ongoing House investigation, particularly targeting the intended resource person of the justice committee.
The House Speaker, however, assured that the lack of testimony from Sebastian will not affect the House panel as testimonies from other witnesses are enough to establish the facts regarding the NBP drug trafficking operations.
The House Committee on Justice is bent on summoning Sebastian to the hearing. Its chair, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, said Sebastian must appear before the justice committee if his injuries were not debilitating but if these were, then Sebastian can be allowed to attend the next hearing.
Subpoenas also have been sent to Ronnie Dayan and Joenel Sanchez, the alleged bagmen of De Lima, as well as former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Franklin Bucayu and former PAOC chief Reginald Villasanta.
Source: Interaksyon
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