De Lima's camp: Is Aguirre admitting gov't witness Ragos a liar all along?

Is former Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II admitting that former National Bureau of Investigation deputy director Rafael Ragos has been lying all along?

Lawyer Bonifacio Tacardon raised this question in response to the claims of Aguirre that Ragos, a government witness on drug-related cases filed against former senator Leila de Lima, is lying when he said that he only implicated the latter because his life and his family were threatened by Aguirre back then.

“Kung siya ay nagsisinugaling ngayon, dapat bang paniwalaan lahat ng kanyang mga salaysay? Nung sinabi ni secretary Aguirre na nagsisinungaling si [NBI] deputy director Ragos nung sinabi ni Ragos na siya ay coerced, ‘yan ba ay pag-amin rin na nagsisinungaling si Ragos noong una siyang magtestigo at sinabi niyang nagdeliver siya ng pera [kay senator De Lima]?” Tacardon told reporters after the hearing on De Lima’s case before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court wherein Ragos was questioned on his recantation.

(If Ragos is lying now, should we believe all his testimony? When Aguirre said Ragos is lying about being coerced, is he also admitting that Ragos has been lying since he first testified and said he delivered money to Senator De Lima?)

“Nagsisinungaling rin ba siya noon? Tama bang sabihin na nagsisinungaling siya? Iyan ay iniiwan namin sa korte,” he added.

(Is he also lying back then? Is it just only right to say that Ragos is lying ever since? We leave that to the court.)

Tacardon, De Lima's legal counsel, also shrugged off Aguirre’s presentation of a video supposedly showing that Ragos freely testified against the former senator with Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta present because such supposed evidence is yet to be presented before the court.

“Walang saysay ['yang video] kung hindi niya sabihin in open court. We will leave it to the prosecutors if they will call on former secretary Aguirre,” he said.

(That video is useless unless presented before an open court.)

Government prosecutors  Rudy Ricamora Jr. and Darwin Cañete, however, argued that Ragos’ recantation should not be given weight because such turnaround is too late.

“He had a lot of chances to recant his affidavit, but he did not do it. He testified in the House of Representatives once, in the Senate twice, and he testified in court.  He was very consistent. Why only now that he has to turn around 180 degrees?” Cañete said.

“He is a former NBI officer, sanay siya sa bakbakan (he is used to tough foes), intimidating personalities. How could Secretary Aguirre, who is smaller than him, threaten him with one sentence,” Ricamora added.

At the time of Ragos’ initial testimony against De Lima, Aguirre was the sitting Justice secretary while he was the deputy director of the NBI, an agency under the DOJ.

But Tacardon maintained that regardless of the timing of the recantation, Ragos' admissions before the court showed that he has indeed turned a new leaf.

“During the cross examination today, napansin na maraming admission against interest si Ragos. Sinabi niya na alam niya na mali na iyong kanyang salaysay pero itinuloy niya ‘yun kahit alam niya na puwede siyang mademanda ng perjury,” he said.

“Kaya para sa akin, nagsasabi si Ragos ng katotohanan,” he added.—AOL, GMA Integrated News