Jaybee Sebastian to supply bank details, list of 'Ninja Cops' to DOJ

Convicted crime boss Jaybee Sebastian on Monday promised to give the Department of Justice (DOJ) the bank details and a list of cops connected with the illegal drug trade.

Sebastian said he was "very much willing" to give the DOJ all the bank accounts that were used in the illegal drug operations inside the New Bilibd Prison (NBP).

Sebastian was also "willing to do some research" and surrender to the department all the names of so-called "Ninja Cops," who resold illegal drugs they confiscate during operations.


He said some police officers would seize 300 kilos of shabu but only present 30 to the public and their superiors. They will then resell 270 kilos for profit.

"Ito ang tunay na dahilan kung bakit lumaganap ang droga sa Pilipinas [This is the real reason why illegal drugs spread across the Philippines]," he said at Monday's House committee hearing on the illegal drug trade inside the NBP.

Sebastian, who was appearing at the inquiry for the first time, testified that he gave at least P14 million in drug payoffs to Senator Leila De Lima in 2014.


Previous witnesses claimed that Sebastian had ordered them to sell drugs to add funds to De Lima's campaign kitty for the 2016 senatorial elections.

Sebastian stayed quiet until Monday and clarified that he never refused to testify.

"Actually hindi po totoo yan [Actually that is not true]," he said.

He even personally supplied the solicitor general information about the illegal drug trade and other anomalies inside the prison, he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

De Lima: I am here, I am ready

MANILA - Former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday said she is now ready to take on the tasks of a senator.

De Lima, accompanied by some members of her family, arrived at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Intramuros, Manila to file her certificate of candidacy. She is part of the senatorial slate of the ruling Liberal Party (LP).

De Lima said she would like to continue her advocacies when she was chair of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) under the Arroyo administration and when she was Department of Justice secretary under President Benigno Aquino III.

“Wala na pong urungan, tuloy na tuloy na po ako sa aking paglalakbay,” she said. “I am here and I am ready.”

De Lima said as senator, she would fight for the rule of law, fight corruption, and champion human rights. She said she would also like to simplify the justice system in the country.

“Panahon na para simplehan natin ang sistema ng pag-iimbestiga at pag-uusig ng mga tiwali, yung mga may kasalanan sa batas,” she said.

“Panahon na rin na meron tayong panibagong opensiba laban sa korupsyon sa pamamagitan ng pagpaptibay ng mga sistema ng proseso para di na po makapagtago at makapaggamit ng mga nakaw na yaman. At tungkol sa human rights, ipaglalaban natin ang mga karapatan ng mga bulnerableng mga sektor ng society.”

The justice secretary ranked 7th in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

In the Pulse Asia survey, she was also included in the list of probable winners, landing in the 9th to 14th places.

De Lima has been admired by some for her role in filing corruption charges against powerful individuals under President Benigno Aquino III’s “Daang Matuwid” program, but this has also earned her enemies who believe the administration is practicing selective justice.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

One Dream president no show at DOJ preliminary probe

MANILA - Arnel Gacer, president of controversial firm One Dream Global Marketing, still did not appear before the Department of Justice's (DOJ) preliminary investigation into syndicated estafa charges filed by 18 complainants from Batangas.

Only Gacer's mother-in-law and co-respondent Belinda de Guzman, assisted by counsel Eric Tresti, appeared among the respondents.

De Guzman asked for more time to submit her counter-affidavit after complainants filed a supplemental affidavit to prove that Belinda de Guzman is the same "Linda de Guzman" named in the complaint.

De Guzman was given up to September 7 to submit her counter-affidavit.

The respondents in the case are Arnel Gacer, Jobelle de Guzman, Ariel Gacer, Richard Ramos, Jay-Ar de Guzman, Marlon de Guzmna, Judith Itoh, Jun de Guzman, Lui de Guzman, Linda de Guzman, and Joel de Guzman.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

DOJ: Binay can't dictate what we can investigate

MANILA - The camp of Vice-President Jejomar Binay is not in a position to dictate what the Department of Justice can or cannot investigate, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Friday.

Speaking before a gathering of public attorneys in Manila led by the Public Attorney's Office (PAO), De Lima said the more Binay's camp pushes the DOJ and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to halt its probe, the more doubts are raised, and the more the investigation should proceed.

"The issue here is not whether or not the DOJ can investigate the vice-president. The issue is, and will remain, whether or not the accusations of systemic corruption in Makati and the amassing ill-gotten wealth are true," she said.

"If the subject of the investigation asks the DOJ to stop, for one reason or another, the commonsense response is not to grant the request but to do the exact opposite: pursue the investigation even further," she added.


De Lima directed the NBI on Thursday to investigate Binay, his family, his alleged dummies, contractors of Makati City projects, and their alleged cohorts in a scheme of plundering the city's coffers. The accusations were made public by Binay's former ally, ex-Makati Vice-Mayor Ernesto Mercado, and several other individuals.

Binay's camp hit the DOJ for ordering the probe, accusing De Lima of engaging in a "political circus," and threatening her of disbarment.

Binay's spokespersons said the DOJ has no jurisdiction over the issue because the vice-president is an impeachable officer.

De Lima, however, said Binay's camp is not in the position to define nor limit her department's powers to investigate.

"It is not up to him (Binay) or his spokespersons to determine the limits of the department's power to investigate impeachable officers; it is only the Supreme Court that can interpret the department's powers of investigation under the law," she said.

"It is also in the same spirit of performing our mandate under the Administrative Code that we are, therefore, now minded to do our own investigation parallel to that of the [Senate Blue Ribbon Committee] and the Ombudsman."

ANSWER ACCUSATIONS

De Lima challenged Binay's camp to answer the allegations instead of raising "irrelevant" matters and accusing the DOJ of politicking.

She stressed that the public deserves to know the truth and this is what Binay, as a public official, should give them instead of "reckless innuendos."

These innuendos do not prove Binay's innocence nor disprove the claims agains him, she stressed.

Binay, in several media interviews and speaking engagements, accused administration allies of conspiring to douse his 2016 presidential bid; he also hit the administration of not dealing with the country's "real problems."

"Rather than question the department's (DOJ's) jurisdiction and priorities, the vice-president should instead directly confront the allegations on the systemic corruption of Makati's procurement system. Rather than question the legal basis for the [Disbursement Acceleration Program], he should confront accusations of amassing ill-gotten wealth," De Lima said.

"To say that the DAP was used by [Budget Secretary Butch Abad] to bribe senators is not a valid defense against the accusations of corruption in Makati. To claim that President [Gloria] Arroyo is innocent and merely being persecuted by this administration despite her illness is not a convincing response to testimonial evidence of unprecedented plunder of local government coffers. To say that he once fed his vice-mayor [Ernesto Mercado] from his own hands only for Mercado to turn against him and that he (Mercado) has 'no utang na loob' is definitely not the best way to impeach a witness."

"To question why I did not release the supposed 5-hour video of Janet Lim Napoles -- and I'm not admitting to the existence of that video 'spilling the beans on administration allies' -- it will never rebut the COA (Commission on Audit) findings of overpricing of hospital beds and medical equipment. To expose the alleged luxury vehicles of Sen. [Antonio] Trillanes will never explain the airconditioned piggery and English garden inside a 350-hectare estate."

"They have said everything except the one thing we really, really seek and need: the truth."

As to the criticism that the DOJ should focus on over investigations and cases, De Lima said Binay's camp should not tell the department what to do and how to do its job.

She stressed that the department should not be selective in its investigations, especially those involving allegations of corruption against government officials.

"Let our record speak for us. In the past 4 years, the DOJ has never shied away from investigating and prosecuting the most controversial cases involving the most powerful politicians and officials. The DOJ investigated a former president (Arroyo), 3 sitting senators (Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Bong Revilla, and Jinggoy Estrada), aside from several congressmen and executive officials and is investigating more. That the case is high profile or involves a powerful politician was never a reason for the DOJ to inhibit from conducting a probe."

"Definitely, it's not a reason for the DOJ to refrain from investigating now. This case is no different. Why would the DOJ now shy away from another investigation of another case of alleged corruption and plunder? If the DOJ does refrain from investigating now, would it not constitute a case of special treatment or dereliction of duty?" De Lima said.

If Binay has nothing to hide, he should welcome the investigation, considering that he has already expressed lack of faith in the ongoing Senate inquiry into the alleged overpricing of Makati City projects and his alleged unexplained wealth, she added.

De Lima also stressed that Binay's camp cannot invoke his so-called immunity from suit in criticizing her move to call for the probe since the NBI investigation will cover not only the vice-president but all those allegedly involved in the "unprecedented corruption allegations" in Makati, all of whom cannot claim any immunity from criminal proceedings.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Why did Deniece meet Vhong twice?

MANILA - The lawyer of Deniece Cornejo appealed against "stereotyping" the now-controversial model when asked why she agreed to meet Vhong Navarro a second time after the actor-host supposedly raped her five days earlier on January 17.

Cornejo's legal counsel, Atty. Howard Calleja, sidestepped the question during his live interview on "Aquino and Abunda Tonight" on Tuesday.

Referring to the night when Navarro allegedly sexually assaulted Cornejo a second time, host Boy Abunda asked the lawyer: "Kung ito ay rape, bakit siya bumalik noong January 22?"

"'Yun pa ang sinasabi natin, 'no. We are stereotyping a character or we are imposing an action that we want the victim to perform," Calleja said. "Ang sinasabi namin, marami na akong rape victims na na-handle and the worse thing is to stereotype them."

"Let us not stereotype them. Let us understand them as a victim. And whatever they do, whether ang ginawa niya ay hindi tama -- 'yung reaction niya, hindi tama -- hindi ibig sabihin hindi siya na-rape," he said.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News' Maan Macapagal on Monday, Calleja said the details of the case, including Cornejo and Navarro's arrangement of a second meeting, should be left to court proceedings.

"Siguro... Sabi ko nga, 'yung mga detalye na 'yun... Iyon ay pag-uusapan nalang sa korte. Sabi ko nga, I'm just telling you the judisprudence but not the details, because we have to remember -- ito ay kaso ng panghahalay o rape. 'Yung mga detalye, huwag na po natin isiwalat dahil ito ay nasa realm na ng pag-iimbestiga o pag-try sa korte."

'We never denied'

Calleja on Tuesday said Cornejo's claim of rape on January 17, which is detailed in her counter-affidavit to Navarro's criminal charges, is not contradictory to the model's earlier statements regarding her acquaintance with the actor.

"Linawin po natin, wala naman pong contradictory, walang kaibahan, walang binago, walang dinagdag," the lawyer said. "We were just concentrating on the January 22 rape at that time."

In his complaint-affidavit in relation to the January 22 mauling incident filed last month, Navarro said he and Cornejo had oral sex on January 17 at her condominium unit at Forbeswood Heights in Taguig.

In an interview on ANC's "Headstart" on January 30, Calleja denied Navarro's claim, saying he had asked Cornejo about the alleged incident. "We talked about that, and Deniece said talagang walang nangyari noong time na 'yon," he said at the time.

However, Calleja on Tuesday said he never denied that his client had sexual relations with Navarro during their first meeting.

"Wala ho kaming dini-deny," he said on "Aquino and Abunda Tonight." "Ang sinasabi ko nga, malinaw po 'yon, even in the affidavit of Deniece. We were just silent about it. Hindi kami nag-deny. Wala kaming sinabing walang nangyari."

Why now?

Asked why Cornejo only detailed the alleged January 17 incident in her counter-affidavit submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Calleja pointed at Navarro's own admission of sexual relations with the model in his sworn statement.

Cornejo made no mention of sexual assault on the 17th in her initial affidavit in the rape complaint she filed against Navarro last January 29.

"Nung nakita namin 'yung affidavit ni Vhong, meron siyang sinabing sexual incident nung 17, at sinasabi niya consensual 'yon," Calleja said. "Malinaw na hindi naman consensual 'yon. So we also had to come out."

In a separate interview with ABS-CBN News on Monday, the lawyer said some understanding is due Cornejo with regard to her belated accusation of another rape case against Navarro.

"We have to give leeway and understanding to the rape victim," Calleja said. "It is hard enough to relive one experience again and again and again. And it's harder to relive two or three or more than one experience."

Vhong's camp 'even more confident'

Navarro's legal counsel, Atty. Alma Mallonga, referred to Cornejo's new rape claim against her client as "fatal" to her case, saying it hurts her credibility.

"Hindi ko alam kung makakatulong ito sa kanila, but definitely, 'yung pagbabago ng kwento sa obvious na kadahilanang kailan nilang magresponde doon sa CCTV footage, malaking dagok 'yon sa kanilang credibility at 'yung ability nila now to move forward in trying to prove their claim," she said, referring to footage released by the National Bureau of Investigation showing those tagged in the January 22 mauling, including Cornejo.

"So sa aking palagay, hindi nakatulong 'yung pagbabago. In fact, I would think fatal ito doon sa kanyang complaint. Mas lalo kaming naging kumpyansa na walang mangyayari dito sa kanyang reklamo," Mallonga told ABS-CBN News in a separate interview on Monday.

Navarro has repeatedly denied raping Cornejo on January 22, saying he was a victim of extortion. He said he was blindfolded and tied up before being attacked by at least six men, including businessman Cedric Lee.

The actor filed six criminal charges against Lee, Cornejo and six others: serious physical injuries, grave threat, grave coercion, unlawful arrest, blackmail, and serious illegal detention, which is a non-bailable offense.

The DOJ has set the third hearing on Navarro and Cornejo's filed cases on February 28.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com