The House of Representatives will no longer hold hearings on the alleged Bilibid narcotics ring unless Ronnie Dayan, the former driver of Senator Leila de Lima accused of collecting drug money for her 2016 poll campaign, is arrested, a lawmaker said Tuesday.
House committee on justice chairman Reynaldo Umali explained that the four hearings held so far are enough for congressmen to establish the drug trade in the national penitentiary.
"Sabi ni House Majority Leader (Rodolfo Fariñas), na kapag nahuli iyan si Dayan, baka mag-conduct pa ng isang hearing. Pero as of yesterday, sa amin po, tapos na po kami," Umali said.
"Malinaw po na na-establish namin iyung aming hinahanap sa pagdinig, iyung proliferation of the drug syndicate in Bilibid prison. Makikita n'yo po iyung transformation ng inmates na dati hindi naman involved sa drugs ay napalipat dito sa drugs."
(The House Majorty leader said we may conduct one more hearing if Dayan is nabbed. But as of yesterday, we're already done. We have clearly established what we were searching for in the hearing: the proliferation of the drug syndicate in the Bilibid prison. You can see the transformation of inmates who were not involved in drugs but eventually shifted to drugs.)
President Duterte earlier claimed that Dayan is De Lima's "link" to the convicted drug lords who allegedly padded her campaign kitty.
Several high-profile inmates have bolstered the allegation, saying they gave millions of pesos in drug money to De Lima, Dayan and other prison officials.
Lawmakers on Monday cited Dayan in contempt and ordered an arrest warrant for failing to appear at the inquiry.
Umali said his committee will propose the suspension of the anti-wiretapping law for devices used by prisoners in their drug dealings, and the institutionalization of regular lifestyle checks among prison officials.
The House panel will also seek recommendations from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and anti-crime watchdogs, he added.
source:abscbn
Post a Comment