Witnesses vs De Lima won’t backtrack – watchdog

MANILA, Philippines — The vital witnesses in the drug trafficking cases filed against outgoing Sen. Leila de Lima will not recant their testimonies, an anti-crime watchdog said yesterday.

In a statement, Citizens Crime Watch national president Diego Magpantay said he and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, one of the private complainants in the drug cases filed against De Lima, are coordinating with the prosecution team.

Magpantay said they have been assured by state prosecutors that the people who witnessed the alleged involvement of De Lima in the drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison have shown “no indication of wavering in their commitment to stick to the truth and testify in the trial.”

He called on incoming justice secretary Crispin Remulla to “resist pressure from local and international rights group to go easy on De Lima.”

“The Supreme Court has upheld the jurisdiction of the lower courts handling the drug cases filed against De Lima. Foreigners do not have the right to question our justice system in an attempt to influence the outcome of the trial in favor of De Lima,” Magpantay said.

The group also slammed the alleged disinformation being peddled by the camp of De Lima in an effort to influence the government’s drug cases against her.

“They are doing this thinking that the next administration can be misled into getting her off the hook,” Magpantay said.