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Probe vs probe: House to probe Bilibid drug trade under De Lima

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RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/8/22/delima-082216.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Paul Kristian Fil Darang/NPPA IMAGES</div></figcaption></figure></div><h2>Senator&#x27;s drug-linked ex-driver may be invited</h2><hr/>MANILA (UPDATED) - The House of Representatives will launch an investigation into the proliferation of illegal drugs use at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) when Senator Leila de Lima was still justice secretary. Davao Rep. Karlo Nograles said they may invite to the hearing the former driver of De Lima, whom President Duterte accused of being the senator&#x27;s lover and link <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/20/16/duterte-driver-was-de-limas-link-to-detained-drug-lords">to the drug lords</a> detained at NBP.&quot;For the sake of transparency and accountability, we will invite all those who are suspected of being involved [in the Bilibid drug trade]. If it involves the driver and bodyguard, then Congress must send an invitation for him to air his side on the matter,&quot; Nograles said. House Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu, for his part, wants to focus on the discovery of an illegal drug laboratory inside the premiere state penitentiary in 2014 while de Lima was justice secretary. &quot;Nakalagay dito ay under the leadership of then secretary of the Department of Justice Leila de Lima and such other heads of law enforcement agencies tasked with implementing law enforcement policies, particularly those in combating the use, proliferation, and trade of illegal and prohibited drugs. Hindi lamang si Senator de Lima ito.&quot;House Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia said de Lima can be invited as a resource person, but cannot be compelled to attend. &quot;The resolution will be referred to the proper committee and it is the committee that extends the invitation.&quot;&quot;She&#x27;s a senator and that&#x27;s a different position. But what we are trying to find out is what happened to the Bureau of Corrections during the leadership of the then Secretary of Justice. But it is voluntary on her part.&quot;Nograles said the probe can proceed even without De Lima. &quot;She will not be the only resource person naman na aming iimbitahin,&quot; he said. &quot;We will look for other persons who can shed light on the matter.&quot;<div>POLITICAL HARASSMENT?</div>De Lima&#x27;s colleague in the Liberal Party, Ifugao Rep. Reddy Baguilat, wants twin investigations.&quot;Palawakin natin to include the involvement of PNP officials in the drug trade,&quot; he said. &quot;If we&#x27;re going to concentrate only on Bilibid, sa akin it&#x27;s a political harassment of Senator De Lima.&quot;(Let&#x27;s expand the investigation to include the involvement of PNP officials in the drug trade. If we&#x27;re going to concentrate only on Bilibid, for me it&#x27;s a political harassment of Senator De Lima.)Baguilat earlier assailed the planned investigation.&quot;In the same way that Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said no new legislation could come out of an investigation into the rampant extrajudicial killings that have cost hundreds of innocent lives, how can any new law come out of an investigation looking for accountability of past officials? &quot;This proposed investigation, in fact, reeks of harassment and various Constitutional violations as it seeks to spend people&#x27;s money on a witch hunt, forgetting that the role of Congress is primarily to make laws, not look for criminal evidence, which is an executive function,&quot; Baguilat said. He added that the planned investigation into the NBP drug trade makes the unjustified conclusion that the problem only started when De Lima led the Department of Justice. &quot;The congressmen who filed the resolution failed to note that it was De Lima who ordered the crackdown on various abuses in NBP,&quot; Baguilat noted. &quot;A sincere investigation into the alleged proliferation of drugs in Philippine jails would try to search for its roots, not target specific officials. Surely my colleagues have not forgotten that as early as 2009, during the term of then President Arroyo, questionable activities have been reported at the NBP, not the least of which was the construction of houses and the conduct of various businesses by then-inmate Romeo Jalosjos.&quot; He also questioned the timing of the proposed investigation, coming at the heels of a Senate investigation, spearheaded by De Lima, into drug-related killings.&quot;Obviously, the proposed investigation, which singles out Senator De Lima, wants to discredit the ongoing investigation at the Senate on drug-related killings. &quot;It is outrageous that the leadership of the House of Representatives would allow this venerable institution to be used as a political weapon,&quot; Baguilat railed.Garcia denied this, saying the investigation does not aim &quot;to pass judgment on the innocence or guilt of one person, [but] find out what are the weaknesses of the present system.&quot; Nograles added that the inquiry will focus on the flow of command responsibility during De Lima&#x27;s term. He also questioned Baguilat&#x27;s proposal to have two overlapping investigations.

MANILA (UPDATED) - The House of Representatives will launch an investigation into the proliferation of illegal drugs use at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) when Senator Leila de Lima was still justice secretary.

MANILA (UPDATED) - The House of Representatives will launch an investigation into the proliferation of illegal drugs use at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) when Senator Leila de Lima was still justice secretary.

Probe vs probe: House to probe Bilibid drug trade under De Lima

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Probe vs probe: House to probe Bilibid drug trade under De Lima

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 22, 2016 06:09 PM PHT

|

Updated Aug 22, 2016 08:13 PM PHT

Read More:

House probe

legislative investigation

drugs

New Bilibid Prisons

Leila de Lima

driver

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