Another official of the previous administration had reportedly benefited from drug payoffs from convicted drug lords at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), according to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.
In a news conference Monday night, Aguirre said the official is "higher than" his predecessor former secretary and now Sen. Leila de Lima, and is a "member of yellow," the color associated with the former Aquino administration.
He said their investigation into the illegal drug trade at the NBP during De Lima's time as DOJ chief led them to the other official, whom he refused to identify.
According to Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, he has not seen any evidence or heard any testimony linking another Aquino Cabinet official to the NBP drugs trade.
Suarez's colleagues in the minority Lito Atienza of party-list group Bahay and Harry Roque of Kabayan called for De Lima's resignation as a senator.
At yesterday's hearing, a police official said De Lima prevented the Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) from taking part in a surprise drug raid at the Bilibid compound two years ago.
Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong, former head of the CIDG, said his men and the PDEA were supposed to be part of the raid, as agreed upon with the DOJ during a meeting.
“Unfortunately, nagulat na lang po ako na hindi na kami kasama sa raid (I was surprised to find out we were no longer part of the raid),” Magalong told the House committee on justice chaired by Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali.
Magalong was referring to the December 2014 raid carried out by the Bureau of Corrections – an agency under the DOJ – and the PNP’s National Capital Regional Office then headed by Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo.
The raid was followed by the transfer of the so-called “Bilibid 19” to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) main office in Manila.
Garbo was among the police generals included in President Duterte’s drug matrix, which showed De Lima at the center. The former DOJ chief was said to have been receiving monthly payola of P3 million to P5 million, which she used to fund her senatorial campaign.
Source: Philippine Star
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