De Lima to file bail plea anew

MANILA, Philippines —  With the recantation of former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos, the camp of detained former senator Leila de Lima will file a petition for bail on her drug charges.

Filibon Tacardon, lawyer for De Lima, said they would file a supplemental motion for bail before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) within the month.

Tacardon made the statement after Ragos completed his testimony before the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 yesterday.

Ragos retracted his earlier allegation that De Lima was involved in illegal drugs when she was justice secretary.

Tacardon noted that their previous bail petition was denied by the court due to Ragos’ original testimony.

Tacardon said Ragos did not waver in his statement during cross-examination by prosecutors, that he only implicated De Lima in the drug trade on orders of former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.

Aguirre denied pressuring Ragos to testify against De Lima and showed a video of the former BuCor chief supposedly giving a sworn statement voluntarily.