LP: Roxas, Drilon ‘drug links’ part of efforts to ‘demonize’ party

The alleged involvement of Senator Franklin Drilon and former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II in the illegal drug trade in the Visayas is part of the Duterte administration’s efforts to “demonize” the Liberal Party (LP), the former ruling party said Thursday.

In a statement, the LP said the administration is “going all-out to demonize the party in the eyes of the public and to divert attention from the pressing problems of the country.”

“After efforts to link the party to destabilization, it is now being accused of being involved in the illegal drug trade solely because of a baseless testimony of a so-called bagman of a drug syndicate,” it said.

“It appears this administration has the habit of manufacturing ‘witnesses’ who have questionable record and reputation, just like what it did to Senator Leila de Lima, who is now languishing in jail due to testimonies of convicted criminals serving jail sentences,” the LP added.

The LP issued the statement after Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Wednesday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will treat as a complaint the affidavit of Ricky Serenio, a drug personality in the Visayas.

Serenio, according to a newspaper report, tagged Drilon and Roxas as “protectors” of slain drug lord Melvin Odicta. Odicta and his wife were shot dead in August last year at the Caticlan port.

The LP slammed the DOJ for supposedly having a knack for “adding evidence for those considered as foes, and subtraction for friends.”

It was referring to Drilon’s earlier observation that two former Immigration commissioners, both fraternity brothers of Aguirre and President Rodrigo Duterte, were able to escape plunder charges after the bribe money recovered from them were P1,000 short of the P50-million threshold amount.

The LP added that the DOJ should just focus on running after those behind the shipment of the P6.4-billion worth of shabu that slipped past Customs last May.

“Instead of swallowing the words of the so-called bagman and wasting time on this new controversy, the administration can better use its time investigating and finding the culprits behind the entry of P6.4-billion worth of shabu that has slipped past the scrutiny of Customs officials,” it said.

In a Facebook post over the weekend, Roxas said he never had any dealings with Serenio nor Odicta. He called he allegations a “poor and laughable attempt at fake news.”

GMA News Online has sought the comment of Drilon on the issue but has to respond as of posting time. — RSJ, GMA News