ADVERTISEMENT
Business, civil groups join call to reconsider charges against De Lima
By JON VIKTOR D. CABUENAS,GMA NewsPhilippine business and civil groups on Wednesday called on the government to reconsider the remaining charges against detained Senator Leila de Lima, after two key witnesses recanted their testimony.
Nine groups said the government should take immediate action to resolve the case at the earliest possible time, given the recent developments.
“Our Constitution holds sacred every citizen’s fundamental rights to liberty and due process, and these rights form the very foundation of the just and humane society we seek, as we rebuild our post-pandemic economy and strengthen the confidence of the international community,” the joint statement read.
The signatories include the Filipina CEO Circle (FCC), Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA), Integrity Initiative Inc. (II Inc.), Judicial Reform Initiative (JRI), and the Makati Business Club (MBC).
The groups also include Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order (MRPO), the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN), The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS), and the Women’s Business Council Philippines Inc. (WomenBizPH).
The statement comes days after key witnesses—self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafaael Ragos—recanted their testimony against De Lima.
De Lima was jailed in 2017 on accusations of involvement in the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison during her stint as Justice Secretary. She has denied the allegations.
Espinosa last week recanted his sworn statements during a Senate joint committee,
ADVERTISEMENT
Ragos then over the weekend retracted his own allegations, saying that he was threatened by then-Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre into making false allegations against her. He also apologized and said she should be cleared of charges.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the retracted statements were “highly suspicious” and “questionable,” and that it is up to the court to decide if the retraction could impact his previous testimonies.
“He executed said affidavit more than five years after he testified before the Senate in 2016 and other subsequent affidavits executed in 2017. He even testified in court on 07, 14 and 28 June 2019 and the defense subjected him to an extensive cross-examination,” the DOJ said.
Malacañang earlier on Wednesday said the public should let the law "run its course," claiming that the case has “nothing to do with her views with the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs or her affiliation to the political opposition.”
Prior to her detainment, De Lima had been vocal against the administration’s war on illegal drugs, and said she was prepared to be the first “political prisoner” under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. — BM, GMA News