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Sana (kub)ol
So the Bureau of Corrections is dismantling kubols in the New Bilibid Prison compound AGAIN. A kubol, for the uninitiated, is that peculiarly Filipino invention of a customized personal space in a prison that is supposed to have standardized living quarters for all prisoners. This is strange because then Justice Secretary Leila de Lima (2010-2016) made a big to-do about demolishing kubols in her time — which was also the Golden Age of Kubols. It was in 2014 when I, as a lawyer for one NBP inmate (who eventually became part of the so-called “Bilibid 19,” but more on that later) went to the prison for an initial conference with my client, who obviously couldn’t come to my office. I was shocked — shocked! — when I arrived at the compound, and not only because I was ushered in through a side door by a warden who put me in a fancy golf cart to take me to my client. En route, I saw that there were buildings(!) inside the prison premises housing — okay, be ready for this — mini-groceries, beauty salons and barber shops, spas, restaurants and, I was to learn later, a high-tech recording studio and radio-television broadcast facility. My client was waiting for me in a three-story(!) building. The first floor housed a fully-equipped office(!) and staff; the second floor was my client’s office with phones and a computer connected to the Internet, and a separate conference room for 12 people; the third floor housed his quarters (a bedroom with toilet, shower and bathtub). Responding to my quizzical look, he answered my unasked question: “Attorney, dito lahat puede basta ‘magpaangat’ ka kay secretary (Anything goes here, just ‘take it up’ with the secretary).” Anyways (to use the favorite expression of my friend Arni Teves), back to my client. Later that year, he and 18 other prisoners had a falling out with Secretary De Lima over what he claimed to be drug dealing inside Bilibid, and they were transferred incommunicado to the National Bureau of Investigation compound. To the frantic cries of their families who feared that they would be liquidated, I filed for a writ of amparo before the Court of Appeals. Their detention was ruled unconstitutional, and their families and I were allowed see them, albeit with very strict restrictions. The story that they told me of drug trafficking inside the NBP compound would later form the backbone of the indictments against De Lima once Aquino was out of power. I had cautioned them to keep things under wraps, as such disclosures then would definitely put them in grave danger. Back to the kubols. De Lima invited the press to witness their destruction, and the mediamen’s jaws dropped — as mine did years before — at the sight of luxury houses complete with airconditioning, king-size beds and Jacuzzis; a state-of-the-art recording studio; a radio and television station with equipment to rival many commercial stations; among other things. As De Lima smiled smugly for the cameras, claiming credit for “cleaning up Bilibid,” friends in media asked her the question, obliquely and sometimes directly, “How could such a thing happen under your watch and your very nose all these years?” The answer was somehow provided in the probe by the House of Representatives in 2017, when an inmate testified that in a meeting with the late J.B. Sebastian (one of the privileged inmates who was said to have done De Lima’s bidding in the Bilibid drug trade) inside his , De Lima held on to a pole (one provided for pole dancing) and, after preening, looked at Sebastian and said, “Okay ba, J.B.?” She knew, and tolerated — nay, encouraged — it. The authorities can knock down the kubols every year, and they will keep springing back up again, unless drastic reforms in the correctional system are made. In this, we sincerely wish Secretary Boying all the luck and success in the world. So when these kubols are removed, we can plausibly wish, SANA (KUB) ALL… The post Sana (kub)ol appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BuCor chief lobs kubol ultimatum
All inmates or whom the government prefers to call persons deprived of liberty, or PDLs must immediately dismantle their kubols, which are the private residences, inside the supposed maximum-security New Bilibid Prison. Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said the removal of the exclusive facilities will be immediate. The problem has been recurring since the term of the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III when a series of raids resulted in the removal of the amenities that high-profile detainees enjoy. Later on, during President Rodrigo Duterte’s term, it was found that the NBP was used as a transit point for the drug trade involving several detained drug lords. “This is part of the continued efforts of the Bureau of Corrections for the security of PDLs. Thus all structures in the seven Operating Prison and Penal Farms nationwide to voluntarily dismantle or the bureau will do it for them,” he said. Raps will be imposed Catapang said the Kubols are not the luxury huts seen in the past that were occupied only by moneyed PDLs but these are makeshift dividers made of plywood constructed for privacy and additional space. “Nevertheless, we ask them to demolish these for transparency,” he said. Yesterday, PDLs at the New Bilibid Prison voluntarily dismantled 60 makeshift rooms or kubols located at the security housing building 1 and 6 NBP North, SHB 9 NBP East Quadrant 4 and SHB 7 NBP West Quadrant 2 while the dismantling of kubols in Quadrant 3 Maximum security compound is still ongoing. Catapang warned that if there are still kubols installed inside the NBP by Monday, Bucor personnel from the Diversified Maintenance Unit will tear it down. “I have instructed newly appointed Deputy Director General for Operations, Gil Torralba to lead this operation including the Greyhound (Galugad) operation that will be conducted regularly at the national penitentiary,” Catapang said. Torralba for his part told Catapang “We will clean up BuCor, Sir.” “We need to do this so that we can confiscate contrabands still in possession of PDLs. They are fully aware that we have given them the chance to surrender all illegal items but if they still refuse and they are caught red-handed, I’m sorry to say that they will have to stay longer at NBP as we will not hesitate to file charges against them,” Catapang said. The post BuCor chief lobs kubol ultimatum appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
1,000 prisoners moved to Iwahig, Sablayan
Around 1,000 prisoners in the New Bilibid Prison including high-profile murderers and drug lords, have been transferred to the Iwahig and Sablayan prison and penal farms as part of the efforts of the Bureau of Corrections to decongest the national penitentiary......»»
Catapang ships 1K PDLs to Iwahig, Sablayan
The Bureau of Corrections, or BuCor, has secretly transferred around 1,000 high-value prisoners, including drug lords, to the Iwahig and Sablayan prison and penal farms. BuCor director-general Gregorio Catapang Jr. said that the transfer was done in order to “decongest” the New Bilibid Prison and to “isolate” the high-value prisoners from other inmates. Catapang said that he gave the prisoners an “ultimatum” to surrender their paraphernalia and other belongings before they were transferred. He also assured that the persons deprived of liberty sent to Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm could not escape from the facility as it is situated on a mountain. “When you’re on a mountain, you don’t have a signal there and you have your own cell. If some inmates escape from there, they eventually return for fear of getting lost or being bitten by snakes or attacked by wild animals,” Catapang explained. “I transferred all the drug lords to a distant area. Now, there are issues coming out. I think the affected drug lords are the ones creating trouble for me,” he pointed out. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have launched separate investigations on the problems inside the NBP, including the alleged mass grave inside the national penitentiary’s septic tanks and the case of person deprived of liberty Michael Angelo Cataroja who has been declared missing since 15 July. The post Catapang ships 1K PDLs to Iwahig, Sablayan appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Catapang: Inmate escape like ‘Mission Impossible’
Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. yesterday said Michael Angelo Cataroja, a person deprived of liberty, who went missing on 15 July, might have escaped from the National Bilibid Prison by riding a garbage truck. “It's kind of like 'Mission Impossible.' They said he rode a garbage truck. He is knowledgeable with regards to vehicles as he is a carnapper,” said Catapang. According to Catapang, Cataroja's mother wants to surrender the inmate to Senator Raffy Tulfo.| The BuCor chief added that he has relieved the 20 jail guards who were on duty when Catapang disappeared. “All of them are under investigation and of course they have been relieved of their posts. They are all jail guards, about 20 of them,” said Catapang. The allowable money that a PDL can get through virtual wallets has also been slashed from P2,000 to P1,000, as one of the reform measures implemented at the NBP, he added. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have launched separate investigations into the NBP, including the alleged mass grave inside the facility's septic tanks and the case of Cataroja. Around 1,000 high-value prisoners, including drug lords, have been transferred to the Iwahig and Sablyan prison and penal farms, according to Catapang. “We transferred them... we kept it secret and did not inform the media because these are high-value targets or high-value prisoners,” he said. All in all, 500 were transferred to Iwahig and another 500 to Sablayan, including females, he added. The transfer of these prisoners will also be reported to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla. The post Catapang: Inmate escape like ‘Mission Impossible’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Judge in Leila case recuses
Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 204 Presiding Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara has inhibited himself from overseeing the remaining illegal drug charge against former senator Leila de Lima. The decision of the judge came after he granted the prosecution’s eight-page motion, which requested his inhibition from Criminal Case 17-167. “Considering the aforementioned circumstances, I, as the Presiding Judge, will exercise caution and voluntarily refrain from presiding over the case, not because the prosecution’s assertion is true, but to eliminate any doubts regarding my credibility, integrity, and impartiality,” Alcantara said in his decision. The DoJ, in its motion, expressed concerns that Judge Alcantara’s prior acquittal of de Lima in Criminal Case No. 17-165 could potentially impact his handling of the ongoing case. Two of three drug cases filed against De Lima, about her actions as justice secretary under the administration of the late former President Noynoy Aquino, had been dismissed. The DoJ panel maintained it could “not help but be apprehensive” that Alcantara “will carry over his perceptions to the instant case.” It said that Alcantara recusing himself from the case would erase any doubt of impartiality or “any impression that he will similarly decide” as in the previous case. Section 1, Rule 137 of the Rules of Court provides that a judge “in the exercise of his sound discretion, (may) disqualify himself from sitting in a case, for just or valid reasons,” the prosecutors said. They also cited a Supreme Court ruling that a judge may be prohibited from litigating a case “when circumstances appear that will induce doubt on his honest actuation and probity in favor of either party, or incident such state of mind.” Criminal Case No. 17-167, De Lima’s third and last case, was previously assigned to RTC Judge Romeo Buenaventura of Branch 256. It was re-raffled after Buenaventura last 15 June granted the motion of De Lima’s co-accused that sought his inhibition. The case was then assigned to Judge Alcantara. The information against De Lima under Criminal Case 17-167 alleged that she and her co-accused received P70 million in narcotics money, purportedly her share for allowing drug lords detained at the New Bilibid Prison to continue running their drug empires while behind bars. The post Judge in Leila case recuses appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Reverse Leila acquittal, court told
Government prosecutors have asked the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court to reverse its acquittal of former senator Leila de Lima on drug-related charges. The Department of Justice panel of prosecutors headed by Ramoncito Ocampo Jr. submitted to the court a 91-page motion for reconsideration anchored on questioning the motives of those who recanted their statements against De Lima. In dismissing the second of three drug cases against De Lima, the court afforded the former senator “reasonable doubt” on account of former Bureau of Corrections chief Rafael Ragos taking back his statement that he gave De Lima P10 million. The case stemmed from the alleged actions of De Lima as DoJ secretary overseeing the New Bilibid Prison. She purportedly received money from drug lords detained at NBP in exchange for allowing them to remotely control their drug empires behind bars. The prosecution noted that Ragos’ recantation came eight days before the 2022 presidential election, at the time that De Lima was seeking reelection as a senator. “This clearly raises doubt as to the motive behind the sudden retraction,” part of the motion read. Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 Presiding Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara, in his 13 May 2013 ruling, said the case against De Lima had lost its legs with the recantation. Without Ragos’s statement, the trial court said: “The crucial link to establish conspiracy is shrouded with reasonable doubt.” On 5 September 2016, Ragos executed an affidavit claiming that in November 2012, as BuCor OIC and together with aide Jovencio Ablen, he delivered a black bag containing P5 million to De Lima and her bodyguard, Ronnie Dayan, at the former’s residence in Parañaque City. Ragos claimed they made another delivery of P5 million in a plastic bag in December 2012 to De Lima and Dayan. The money, according to Ragos, came from the proceeds of the drug operations of several high-profile inmates inside the NBP. But Ragos retracted his statements against De Lima in May 2022. The panel of prosecutors insisted that Ragos’ recantation did not debunk his original testimony given in open court and that there were other pieces of evidence on record to prove De Lima’s guilt. The panel also cited numerous rulings of the Supreme Court which held that recantations of testimonies are viewed with suspicion and hardly given much weight. “While recantation may give rise to suspicion, such suspicion, however strong, cannot solely serve as a gauge for determining the probative value of the recantation,” the DoJ panel said. The prosecution pointed out that Ragos “extensively” testified before the court, the Senate, and the House of Representatives on his original testimony linking De Lima to the illegal drug trade inside the NBP. It also questioned the court’s failure to consider the weight of the “corroborative and uncontroverted” testimony of Ablen, who testified that he accompanied Ragos in delivering the alleged drug money to De Lima’s residence. The panel also noted that Ragos failed to show evidence to back his claim that he was coerced into executing his initial affidavits and testifying before the court against the former senator. “With his stature and if Ragos indeed lived by his office creed, no amount of coercion could have swayed him. His empty claim of coercion could not have sacrificed his honor and the honor of his office by asserting untruthful statements which are not expected of a high officer of the premier investigatory arm of the government,” the DoJ panel said. The post Reverse Leila acquittal, court told appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DOJ prosecutors ask Muntinlupa court to reverse De Lima acquittal
The Department of Justice has asked the Regional Trial Court of Muntinlupa City to reverse the acquittal of former senator Leila de Lima on the charge of conspiring to commit illegal drug trading inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. The panel of prosecutors headed by Provincial Prosecutor Ramoncito Ocampo Jr. in a 91-page motion for reconsideration, questioned the motive behind the recantation of its main witness, former officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Corrections Rafael Ragos, which became the basis for the trial court’s dismissal of the drug case against De Lima. The prosecution noted that Ragos’ recantation came eight days before the 2022 presidential election, where De Lima was seeking reelection as senator. “This clearly raises doubt as to the motive behind the sudden retraction,” the MR stated. “Verily, the precipitous recantation of NBI Deputy Director Rafael Marcos Z. Ragos is coming off as highly suspect and should not be the sole barometer and guiding threshold in rendering the assailed judgment,” it added. Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 Presiding Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara, in his 13 May 2013 ruling, gave weight to Ragos’ recantation in acquitting De Lima and bodyguard Ronnie Dayan. Without Ragos’ statement, the trial court said, “ the crucial link to establish conspiracy is shrouded with reasonable doubt.” The retraction it said “created reasonable doubt which warrants the acquittal of both accused.” On 5 September 2016, Ragos executed an affidavit claiming that in November 2012, as BuCor OIC and together with aide Jovencio Ablen, they delivered a black bag containing P5 million to De Lima and her bodyguard Ronnie Dayan at the former’s residence in Paranaque. Ragos said they made another delivery of the amount of P5 million contained in a plastic bag in December 2012 to De Lima and Dayan. The money, according to Ragos, came from the proceeds of the drug operations of several high-profile inmates inside the NBP. But the statements were recanted by Ragos in his affidavit executed in May 2022. The panel of prosecutors insisted that Ragos’ recantation was not able to debunk his original testimony given in open court and that there are other pieces of evidence on record to prove De Lima’s guilt. The panel also cited numerous rulings of the Supreme Court which held that recantations of testimonies are viewed with suspicion and hardly given much weight. “While recantation may give rise to suspicion, such suspicion, however strong, cannot solely serve as a gauge for determining the probative value of the recantation,” the DOJ panel said. The prosecution pointed out that Ragos “extensively” testified before the court, the Senate and House of Representatives on his original testimony linking De Lima to the illegal drug trade inside the NBP. It also questioned the court’s failure to consider the weight of the “corroborative and uncontroverted" testimony of Ablen, who testified that he accompanied Ragos in delivering the alleged drug money to De Lima’s residence in Paranaque City. The panel also noted that Ragos failed to show evidence to back his claim that he was coerced to execute his initial affidavits and to testify before the court against the former senator. “With his stature and if Ragos indeed lived by his office creed, no amount of coercion could have swayed him. His empty claim of coercion could not have sacrificed his honor and the honor of his office by asserting untruthful statements which are not expected of a high officer of the premier investigatory arm of the government,” the DOJ said. The post DOJ prosecutors ask Muntinlupa court to reverse De Lima acquittal appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Acquittal flawed, recantation witness’ intimidation unproved (4)
To acquit former Senator Leila de Lima, there is a need for the defense to destroy the testimonies of Jovencio Ablen and Ragos, but it was not up to it. It should have introduced evidence that Ablen and Ragos were lying. There should be proof before the court that Ablen and Ragos have an axe to grind against De Lima hence they were testifying falsely to get back at De Lima. There is nothing in the record establishing those exculpatory evidence. They remained unrebutted. The court in its decision acquitting De Lima reasoned out that the testimony of Ragos was necessary for any conviction. It added that since Ragos recanted his previous testimony done under oath and in open court, such recantation created a reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the accused. The justification of the court based alone on Ragos’ recantation is flawed on three points: One, it is incorrect for the court to say that the previous testimony of Ragos is necessary to render a judgment of conviction. The court is forgetting that it was not only Ragos who testified that he delivered the P10 million on two occasions. Ablen also testified that he was with Ragos when the said amount was delivered to De Lima. His testimony jibes with Ragos’ in every detail of the circumstances surrounding the delivery of the drug money to De Lima. Even without the testimony of Ragos, Ablen’s testimony which was not rebutted nor demolished by the defense is sufficient to establish that De Lima received the P10 million coming from the drug lords, which receipt proved that she was part of the illegal drug trafficking inside the NBP, establishing therefore the conspiracy in committing the crime. Two, the recantation of Ragos according to him was made by him because his original testimony in court was not voluntarily given he having been coerced or forced by the then Secretary of Justice Vitaliano Aguirre. There is however no evidence on record, whether documentary or testimonial, other than his own self-serving allegation that he was indeed forced or coerced into lying when he testified in court against De Lima. To justify the recantation of Ragos, the defense should have given proof of the coercion and/or intimidation done to make him testify falsely against De Lima, but it failed. The court cannot be giving weight to a serious allegation of coercion and intimidation without any evidence to back it up. For the court to impair the previous testimony of Ragos without proof is to blatantly violate the rules on evidence and jurisprudence. To rule that the recantation of witness Ragos, without an accompanying evidence validating the claim of coercion and intimidation, is gross ignorance of the law. Three, the coercion and intimidation of Ragos which led him to recant or reverse his previous testimony not only was not proven in court, but such coercive factor was rebutted in court by the Public Attorney’s Office lawyer, Demiteer Huerta, who assisted him in court in executing his sworn statement stating, among other things, the circumstances that led to his — and Ablen’s delivery of the P10 million. Huerta testified that he helped Ragos in drafting his affidavit, the truth of the contents of which was sworn to before him. He also testified that Ragos went to the PAO office to make a supplemental sworn statement confirming the contents of the affidavit of Ablen and that Ragos sworn before him on the truth of the allegations contained in his supplemental affidavit. Moreover, the Muntinlupa court should have taken judicial notice of the fact that Ragos after his testimony before the court and long after the then Justice Secretary Aguirre, the official whom Ragos claimed to have forced him to testify falsely against De Lima, was replaced as head of the justice department, repeated his court testimony before the investigating committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives. If it is true that he was coerced by Aguirre and he was afraid of him as he had still the power and influence as his boss hence he could not expose the coercion for fear of reprisal, why then did he not come forward and told the truth after Aguirre’s departure from office? Instead, in the interregnum between his court testimony and his recantation, he testified, again willingly and voluntarily, and repeated the same damaging testimony before the congressional bodies. That very significant circumstance should have raised the red flag in the mind of the court but it incredibly ignored it. Collating the evidence extant on record, the quantum of proof required for conviction beyond a reasonable doubt is robustly present. (To be continued) The post Acquittal flawed, recantation witness’ intimidation unproved (4) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Acquittal flawed, recantation witness’ intimidation unproved (2)
The 39-page decision on the De Lima case by the Regional Trial Court of Muntinlupa City Branch 204, contains a recitation of facts and circumstances as alleged in the complaint and as testified to by witnesses, as well as the reasons for the verdict of acquittal. The accused who was then Secretary of Justice was charged with accepting drug money to fund her senatorial campaign from the drug lords operating the illegal trafficking of prohibited drugs inside the national penitentiary. Two witnesses namely Jovencio Ablan, an NBI agent, and Rafael Ragos, former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge, testified that on two separate occasions – 25 November and 21 December 2012 – the two of them delivered a total of P10 million to De Lima at her residence in South Bay Subdivision, Parañaque City. Both of them testified that on 24 November 2012, the black bag containing P5 million was received by the other accused, Ronnie Dayan, personal driver of De Lima, who handed it to the latter. Likewise, the two witnesses testified that on 15 December 2012, the 2nd delivery of P5 million to De Lima was made by them at the same aforesaid residence. It was Dayan who received the plastic bag containing the money. Ragos saw De Lima receiving the money from Dayan. Quoted hereunder is the testimony of Jovencio Ablen as narrated by the court on Pages 5 and 6 of the decision: “Jovencio “Jun” Ablen is an intelligence agent connected with NBI Intelligence Division. From November 24, 2012 to December 15, 2012, he received verbal instructions to assist Deputy Director Ragos on some investigations, particularly at the Bureau of Corrections Maximum Security facility where there was a grenade explosion incident. On Nov. 24, 2012, at or about 8:00 o’clock in the morning, he received a call from Deputy Director Ragos, who picked him up from his house and told him that they will deliver money to “Lola” pertaining to them Sec. de Lima. He saw bundles of money in one-thousand-peso bill denominations allegedly amounting to Five Million Pesos and they delivered the money to the residence of accused De Lima at Laguna Bay corner Subic Bay, South Bay Subdivision, Paranaque City. When Ragos was approaching the pedestrian gate, he saw accused Dayan already standing there as the pedestrian gate was open. Ragos handed over the black bag to Dayan. While going towards the house, he saw then Sec. de Lima outside the main entrance and accused Dayan tried to hand over the black bag to her. On December 15, 2012, he was again instructed by Ragos to accompany him. They proceeded to accused De Lima’s house to bring one plastic bag containing money. Upon approaching the pedestrian gate, Ragos handed the transparent plastic bag supposedly containing Five Million Pesos to accused Dayan.” On the other hand, the testimony of Rafael Ragos is reproduced below as found on pages 9 and 19 of the court’s decision, to wit: “Deputy Director Rafael Marcos Z. Ragos testified that they delivered on two (2) occasions sum of money to accused Dayan and De Lima.” On November 24, 2012, he found a black bag in his quarter’s bedroom and when he opened it, he saw bundles of money, which was placed thereat by a trustee called “Jordan.” After the latter told him he could not identify the person who delivered the said bag, Deputy Director received a telephone call from Hans Tan, a high-profile inmate involved in drugs who told him to deliver the Five Million Pesos to accused Dayan and De Lima.” (To be continued) The post Acquittal flawed, recantation witness’ intimidation unproved (2) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Drug case vs De Lima crumbles due to star witness recantation
While government prosecutors were able to prove the existence of the drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison, their efforts to implicate former Sen. Leila de Lima in it crumbled due to the recantation of their erstwhile star witness......»»
De Lima judged today on P5-M drugs bribe
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has wished his predecessor, former senator Leila de Lima, good luck on the promulgation of judgment today on one of two remaining drug cases against her. Branch 204 of the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court will rule on the recanted allegation of former Bureau of Corrections officer in charge Rafael Ragos that De Lima received P5 million in drug money in 2012. Detained at the Philippine National Police custodial facility, De Lima also has a pending drug case before Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256. “Good luck to her. I don’t even know the judge. I don’t talk with the prosecutors about it. It has been ongoing for the past six years, so good luck,” Remulla said. “I cannot weigh in on that. I cannot interfere with the way of the court,” he added, of the promulgation set for 8:30 a.m. De Lima was accused of making money from the illegal drugs trade when she was Justice secretary by allowing New Bilibid Prison drug lords to continue to conduct business with their contacts outside the prison. She, however, accused former President Rodrigo Duterte of orchestrating the filing of trumped-up charges against her. In 2016, Ragos issued an affidavit that alleged that he and an aide delivered to the house of De Lima P5 million in drug bribe money. The post De Lima judged today on P5-M drugs bribe appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Remulla to De Lima: ‘Good luck’ on case promulgation
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday wished detained former Senator Leila De Lima good luck on the promulgation of her two remaining drug cases pending at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court. The Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 is set to promulgate tomorrow the two remaining drug cases against the former lawmaker for allegedly benefiting from the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison when she was still Justice secretary. “Good luck to her. I don’t even know the judge, I don’t talk with the prosecutors about it. It has been ongoing for the past six years, so good luck,” said Remulla when asked for comment on the impending promulgation. “I cannot weigh in on that. I cannot interfere with the way of the court,” Remulla added. The promulgation, scheduled at around 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, 12 May, is expected to be attended by de Lima, who has been in jail since 2017. Should she be cleared by Muntinlupa Branch 204 Presiding Judge Joseph Abrahan Alcantara, her acquittal will not pave the way for her immediate release from detention as she still has another pending drug case before the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256, which earlier deferred its ruling on De Lima’s petition for bail. The drug case to be promulgated tomorrow stemmed from the affidavit executed on 5 September 2016 by former officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Corrections Rafael Ragos, who claimed that in November 2012, as BuCor OIC and together with aide Jovencio Ablen, he delivered a black bag containing P5 million to De Lima and her bodyguard Ronnie Dayan at the former’s residence in Paranaque. He added that they made another delivery of money contained in a plastic bag in December 2012 to De Lima and Dayan. Ragos said the money came from drug lords inside the NBP, to support De Lima's senatorial bid in 2013. But in May 2022, Ragos recanted his statements and accused former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre of coercing him to execute an affidavit that implicated De Lima in the NBP drug trade. The post Remulla to De Lima: ‘Good luck’ on case promulgation appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
De Lima to Muntinlupa RTC: Junk prosecution bid to reopen drug case
The camp of detained former senator Leila M. De Lima yesterday petitioned the Muntinlupa regional trial court to deny the plea of the prosecution to reopen the proceedings in the illegal drugs case filed against her to allow the prosecution to present a lawyer from the Public Attorney’s Office as a rebuttal witness. “Simply put, these criminal proceedings cannot be held hostage by the lack of diligence of the Prosecution which had six years prosecuting the same,” De Lima said in the opposition filed with RTC Branch 204 by her lawyer Teddy Esteban F. Rigoroso. The government charged De Lima, detained at the Custodial Center of the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City, for her alleged involvement in the proliferation of the narcotics trade at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City. In their motion, the Department of Justice prosecutors asked the local court to reopen the case, which has been submitted for resolution, and permit the presentation of a rebuttal witness, PAO lawyer Demiteer Huerta. The move was described by De Lima as “the underhanded maneuvering of the Panel to inevitably delay the proceedings in this case.” According to the former lawmaker, the court has already set the promulgation of the judgment of the case on12 May after the prosecution and the defense lawyers both agreed before the RTC last 17 April to have the case submitted for resolution following the 10 March termination of the presentation of evidence of her co-accused, former driver Ronnie Dayan. “The Panel’s agreement to submit the case for decision constitutes a waiver of their opportunity to further present rebuttal evidence. Trials must end at some point. They cannot be subjected to the whims and caprices of any party who, after agreeing to submit the case for decision, changes its mind and opts for a continuation of an already terminated trial. The Rules of Criminal Procedure simply cannot be supplanted with pleasure borne out of the lackadaisical attitude of a party,” said De Lima. She stressed that the presentation of Huerta is “not newly discovered evidence” and the PAO lawyer was “already known to the Panel at the time they agreed to have the instant case submitted for resolution.” Huerta was one of the PAO lawyers who took the testimony of former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos in testifying against De Lima. The government panel sought to present Huerta after Ragos recanted his testimony against De Lima. In her opposition, De Lima said, “There is no showing that the presentation of the additional evidence, including the testimony of Atty. Huerta, would add anything of value to the lengthy cross-examination of the Panel. The Panel already had their opportunity to debunk and address the testimony of witness Ragos. In fact, they had four full morning hearing dates to do so. The Panel also failed to even explain the substance of the testimony of Atty. Huerta and the additional matters that would be raised. This failure highlights the whimsical nature of the motion.” The post De Lima to Muntinlupa RTC: Junk prosecution bid to reopen drug case appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
House probe on deaths of NBP inmates pushed
BY ELLSON QUISMORIO A senior vice chairman of the House Committee on Justice is pushing for an investigation into the reported deaths of convicted high-profile drug lords and other inmates at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City. Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez filed House Resolution (HR) No. 1090 […].....»»
& lsquo;Drug lords disappeared like bubbles& rsquo;
Senator Win Gatchalian said it is hard to believe that all the convicted high-profile drug lords “disappeared like bubbles” while detained at the New Bilibid Prison after Bureau of Corrections officials reported they died of the coronavirus and were cremated......»»
VP Sara ready to face ICC charges only before a Filipino court
Vice President Sara Duterte expressed her readiness to confront any allegations against her but insisted that she would only do so in front of a Filipino judge and within the jurisdiction of a Filipino court. In a statement on her Facebook page, she emphasized her refusal to participate in any process that could tarnish the reputation and integrity of the Philippine judiciary system. Duterte adamantly opposed the involvement of foreign entities in the country's legal affairs, citing it as a dishonor to the sacrifices made by Filipino heroes for the nation's freedom. Duterte, who previously served as vice mayor and mayor of Davao City, vehemently denied any involvement in the Davao Death Squad during her terms in office. She expressed dismay over the sudden appearance of a witness against her in the International Criminal Court (ICC) after assuming the vice presidency. Duterte dismissed the accusations and questioned the motives behind the allegations, asserting her capability to accomplish tasks without resorting to unlawful means. In a related development, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. voiced his refusal to acknowledge the ICC's jurisdiction in the Philippines, considering it a threat to the country's sovereignty. He issued a directive for all government agencies to refrain from cooperating with the ICC, emphasizing the nation's non-recognition of the court's authority. Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV claimed that ICC investigators had gathered substantial evidence against former President Rodrigo Duterte regarding his administration's war on drugs. He anticipated an imminent issuance of an arrest warrant against the former president. Former President Rodrigo Duterte condemned the ICC's decision to initiate a preliminary investigation into the war on drugs, labeling it an insult to the Philippines and challenging the court's jurisdiction within the country. During his presidency, he initiated the withdrawal of the Philippines' membership from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. The ICC appeals chamber recently granted a request to resume the investigation into alleged crimes against humanity related to the Philippines' controversial drug campaign, spanning from November 2011 to March 2019. The developments surrounding the ICC's probe into the Philippines' internal affairs have sparked a contentious debate, with key political figures and rights groups expressing divergent views on the matter. The ongoing tensions between the Philippines and the ICC underscore the complex intersection of international law, national sovereignty, and human rights issues......»»
Sandigan OKs online testimony of witness vs ex-FDA chief
The Sandiganbayan has allowed a private doctor to testify via videoconferencing against former Food and Drug Administration director general Nela Charade Puno, who was charged with graft over the alleged unlawful raid and closure of a pharmacy and wellness clinic in Tarlac......»»
Ex-PNP official to recant drug allegations vs De Lima
Another key witness in former senator Leila de Lima’s third and final drug case has expressed intent to recant his testimony......»»
11 witnesses vs De Lima returned to Bilibid
Eleven witnesses in former senator Leila de Lima’s third and final drug case have been ordered by a Muntinlupa court to be returned to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City from the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro......»»