Even before he unmasked the full extent of Sen. Leila de Lima’s drug protection racket, President Rodrigo Duterte has declared he would not take any of the key players in the matrix as a state witness just to put the former Justice Secretary behind bars.
In an ambush interview, Duterte shot down speculation that he would tap as state witnesses former Justice Undersecretary Francisco “Toti” Baraan (who was in charge of the Bureau of Corrections during the time of de Lima as Justice Secretary) and de Lima’s former driver-lover , Ronnie Palisoc Dayan.
“Baraan was a key player diyan and ‘yung si Dayan. All others that came out of this [inaudible] De Lima, I refuse to answer at saka wala akong pakialaman diyan sa mga bagay na ‘yan. Hindi ako lumalaro ng ganoon,” said Duterte.
Baraan has denied Duterte’s allegations claiming that he had a limited control over the Bureau of Corrections.”I never oversee, either on the ground or from a distance, the prison operations in BuCor’s seven penal colonies, more so the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. As wrongly reported, I was not Usec in charge of the Bilibid. This is a total misconception,” said Baraan. De Lima’s driver-lover has been in hiding since Duterte came to power.
Duterte said his matrix on de Lima’s alleged drug protection racket would explain “how some people were enjoying privileges when they’re supposed to be inside the prison, having night clubs , jacuzzi, women going in and out, and those guns.”.
“The question really of the moment is why were they enjoying such privileges as if they are not prisoners? So ‘yun ang sagot. Meron talagang nagbigay ng go-signal diyan. And it could not have come from any other person except the head of government. Imposible rin isang warden lang diyan, isang guardya mag: ‘O, sige, mag-happy happy kayo. Mag-inom kayo. Sige, ‘yung mga babae, papasukin nation.’
It’s impossible to do that unless you have the go-signal of the highest official who was de Lima,” said Duterte.
Other key cogs in de Lima’s web of drug activities are former Pangasinan Gov. and current Pangasinan Rep. Amado T. Espino, former Pangasinan administrator Rafael Baraan, former Pangasinan provincial board member Raul Sison,
Related stories:
Kung ayaw mo, wag mo: House won’t force De Lima to attend probe on Bilibid drug trade— Alvarez
De Lima confirms MMDA enforcer is her bodyguard but swears she has zero lovelife
De Lima surprised she is now ‘drug overlord’ bigger than Peter Co: Please lang po, lubayan nyo na po ako
Alvarez on House NBP probe: De Lima ain’t the target
Duterte to heartbroken De Lima: Tapos ka na
Food for the gods: De Lima had a feast inside Bilibid Prison with Chinese drug lords
De Lima unfazed by Duterte’s drug matrix: Kabalastugan yan!
The matrix: Espino, Bucayu, Baraan are de Lima’s ‘partners in crime’ in drugs racket – Duterte
Pangasinan is the nerve center of De Lima’s drug ties: From Dayan to Sison to Baraan to Espino
