Malacanang released Thursday the “matrix” President Rodrigo Duterte said would show the personalities, led by Senator Leila de Lima, he claims are involved in illegal drug operations at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.
Aside from De Lima and former Justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, who Duterte had earlier named, the matrix also names Pangasinan Representative Amado Espino, who was former governor of the province, provincial board member Raul Sison, and Ronie Palisoc Dayan, De Lima’s former driver who, the President has repeatedly claimed, was also her lover and who allegedly was the link to convicted drug lords at the NBP.
Others in the matrix are resigned Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayo, who is a retired police general, and Baraan’s brother Raffy, the provincial administrator of Pangasinan.
De Lima has consistently denied Duterte’s accusations she is linked to the drug trade within the national penitentiary. And, while she has confirmed that Dayan had been her driver-bodyguard since she was still in private practice and resigned last year, she has kept mum on her relationship with him.
Former undersecretary Baraan has also denied any links to drugs at the NBP, saying he never exercised actual supervision of operations at the penitentiary.
The matrix has arrows showing how the principal personalities are purportedly linked to each other but does not detail how drug money supposedly flowed from Bilibid to them.
It says Bucayo was appointed Region 1 police director “thru the help of De Lima” and resigned from the Bucor “because of alleged involvement of (sic) illegal drugs” within the bureau. Pangasinan belongs to Region 1.
The former undersecretary, who served under De Lima when she headed the Justice department, is described as a “trusted” aide of hers while his brother is “a loyal follower of Espino” who was allegedly “used” to “cover all illegal activities” of the former governor.
Espino, on the other hand, is said to be “involved in black sand mining, quarrying and jueteng,” and has allegedly “amassed unexplained wealth.” The matrix quotes Sison calling Espino “the richest politician in Northern Luzon.”
Dayan, on the other hand, allegedly “received a monthly payola from Gen Bucayo thru SPO1 Palisoc” of Police Regional Office 1, apparently on De Lima’s behalf.
In a radio interview, Espino denied any connections to the drug trade, calling it "malayo sa katotohanan(far from the truth)."
"Isa nga ako sa lumalaban sa droga sa aming probinsya (In fact, I am among those fighting drugs in our province)," he said.
Post a Comment