Aguirre: Drug convicts’ testimonies no ‘ticket to freedom’

MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II denied yesterday that the appearance of the convicts who testified against Sen. Leila de Lima during the House of Representatives inquiry into the alleged illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) would serve as their “ticket to freedom.”

“The pending applications for parole of some of the NBP inmates presented in the House probe had nothing to do with their testimonies,” Aguirre said in a statement.

“They appeared on their own initiative. I asked each and every one of these inmates before they read their statements if they were coerced, bribed, threatened, tortured or offered anything in exchange for them testifying. All of them said ‘no,’” he added.

Aguirre maintained that the government did not promise anything to the inmates when they tagged De Lima, high-value inmate Jaybee Sebastian and other personalities in the NBP drug trade.  

Ferdinand Topacio, lawyer for some of the inmates, said his clients did not testify in the hearings in exchange for pardon.

Topacio belied the insinuation of Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano that five of the 12 convicts who testified against De Lima during the House committee on justice probe were promised executive clemency by the Duterte administration.

Instead, Topacio claimed that several officials of the Department of Justice (DOJ) during the Aquino government offered to grant parole to his clients in exchange for money.

“My clients admitted that they were encouraged by some DOJ officials during the previous administration to apply for parole, with the assurance that, for the right amount of money, the applications would be approved before end of the term of Aquino and then justice secretary De Lima. In fact, some inmates paid considerable amount of money to these people,” Topacio said.

Topacio, counsel for convicts Vicente Sy and Jojo Baligad, explained that his clients had filed applications for parole and not pardon.

The lawyer said the applications for parole could not be linked to the House inquiry into the alleged drug trade at the NBP since these were filed last year.

“The pending applications for parole of my clients were made during the time of then justice secretary De Lima,” Topacio said.

“Definitely no applications were made immediately before, during or after the congressional hearings,” he added.

Apart from Sy and Baligad, three other convicts with pending applications with the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP) are Engelbert Durano, Jaime Patio and Nonilo Arile.

The BPP confirmed that the inmates’ applications for parole are being reviewed.

Topacio said the statements made by Alejano on the issue were “irresponsible and misleading.”