De Lima To Explain The Reason For Drug Trade Growth During Her Term In DOJ, Asked By Grace Poe
Senator Grace Poe urges Senator Leila De Lima to explain why illegal drug trade grows during De Lima’s term as Justice Secretary on DOJ.
On Tuesday (December 20, 2016), Senator Poe said that De Lima should give specific reasons for the rapid growth of illegal drug proliferation in the Philippines during her term as secretary of justice at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Grace Poe is not only citing the illegal drug trade happened at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) but she refers to the nationwide spread of illegal drugs in the Philippines while De Lima is the head of DOJ. She also said that De Lima is accountable to answer the accusations against her linking her to illegal drug activities.
Allegations against De Lima is difficult to be brush off because of the collaborating testimonies of several inmates at the national penitentiary linking the former Justice Secretary to illegal drug proliferation a few years ago.
NBP inmate Jaybee Sebastian confessed that he headed the gang leaders at the national penitentiary to sell drugs inside and outside NBP to fund De Lima’s senatorial campaign in exchange for their protection and VIP treatment inside the jail.
Kerwin Espinosa, self-confessed drug lord and Ronnie Dayan, De Lima’s former bodyguard, and driver also testified against Senator De Lima. Espinosa testified that he gives money to De Lima for his protection which is allegedly received by Dayan as De Lima’s bagman.
“But as I said, it was during her time when she was DOJ secretary that a lot of these drug problems actually flourished so at least for that particular issue she has to be able to explain why that was so,” said by Poe quoted by Inquirer.
De Lima and Poe were part of the majority in the senate. But De Lima was dismissed from her position due to accusations against her. De Lima was also the chair of the Senate committee in charge of investigating the Extrajudicial Killings (EJK) happening in the Philippines.
Leila’s position at the committee was replaced by Senator Richard Gordon, which recently reported that there’s no proof of EJK in the country. Grace Poe is also a part of the committee but she did not sign the report.
Poe also pledged to be fair in hearing complaints against De Lima. Poe is also a member Senate ethics committee that will deliberate the complaint against the former Justice Secretary.
