— WIRETAPPING FOR ANTIDRUG WAR: Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Chairman and Senator Ping Lacson(2nd from right) explains the need for the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies to employ wiretapping operations in the war on illegal drugs during a committee hearing on Tuesday, September 27, 2016. Lacson, a former PNP chief, said the PNP and other anti-drug agencies should rely more on signals intelligence (SIGINT), but stressed that only government must be able to possess wiretapping equipment and not private and non-government entities “so they won’t fall into the wrong hands.” Also in photo are (right to left) Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, along with Senators Gregorio Honasan and Manny Pacquiao.(MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Wednesday said he thinks certain “forces” are behind the attack on Bilibid inmates, including Jaybee Sebastian, so they won’t be able to testify on the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary.
Alvarez said the timing of the attack was suspect, especially since the House committee on justice has already summoned Sebastian to its drug-related inquiry next week.
“That [attack] is sad. Apparently, there are forces na ayaw na mag-testify iyong Jaybee Sebastian and tingnan natin ang motibo kung sino ang ayaw na malaman siguro ang katotohanan,” said Alvarez.
“Bakit ngayon lang sila magpapatayan, targeted pa ang intended resource person ng committee on justice,” the House leader said, adding that there is “always that possibility” that the attack is connected to the ongoing House probe.
Several of Sebastian’s fellow inmates at the New Bilibid Prison earlier pointed to him as the one responsible for mobilizing drug lords to come up with money for then-Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s senatorial campaign.
De Lima has since denied the allegation.
At a press briefing at the Senate, De Lima doubted whether the incident was indeed a riot as announced by authorities, but could be another way of persuading Bilibid inmates of testifying against her.
“Absent [of] any other available and reliable information, I’m not discounting the fact that [this] is another way of persuading the Bilibid 19 to testify against me,” De Lima told reporters.
“This is Malacañang’s way of sending its message to prisoners who refuses to implicate me as part of [Justice Sec. Vitaliano] Aguirre’s teleserye drama projecting me as Bilibid queen,” she added.
Alvarez said he would understand if Sebastian would be unable to attend the resumption of the House probe due to his injuries, saying there are other witnesses lined up to testify.
The Speaker said they would also be studying the possibility of also extending immunity to Sebastian. “[Pero] iyong immunity naman hindi magiging solusyon para maging safe ang buhay niya sa loob.”
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II earlier said the stabbing incident happened around 7:40 a.m. Apart from Sebastian, other inmates who figured in the stabbing incident were Peter Co, Tony Co and Vicente Sy.
Aguirre said Tony Co died from the incident.
He said Peter Co was in critical condition while Sebastian was already in a stable condition at the Medical Center of Muntinlupa City. On the other hand, Sy was taken brought to Ospital ng Muntinlupa.
Building 14 houses high-profile inmates, including top drug lords. (MNS)