Aguirre disputes De Lima, says no gov’t deal on Marcelino release

JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II on Sunday disputed allegations that the government has struck a deal with Lt. Col. Ferdinand L. Marcelino in exchange for his release.

Responding to allegations by detained Senator Leila M. de Lima, Mr. Aguirre said in a text message: “There is no such deal. She is imagining things.”

Ms. De Lima claimed that the government made a deal with Mr. Marcelino to testify against her in her current drug cases before the local court. The justice chief said Mr. Marcelino is being considered a potential witness against Ms. De Lima.

Ms. De Lima last Friday told reporters in an ambush interview after her hearing at the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court: “Isn’t that obvious? It’s too obvious and brazen. After they dismissed his case, he will now testify against me.”

The Department of Justice (DoJ) last week withdrew charges against Mr. Marcelino and his Chinese companion Yi Shuo Yan, despite earlier indicting them on violation of Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

A resolution by the DoJ on May 23, 2016 affirmed its first findings on the case, dismissing charges against Messrs. Marcelino and Yan. However, the DoJ reversed the said May resolution four months later on Sept. 15, 2016, charging Messrs. Marcelino and Yan for possession of illegal drugs.

Messrs. Marcelino and Yan were arrested on Jan. 21 that year at a shabu-facility raid led by the Philippine National Police ( PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). The arrested parties, in particular, Mr. Marcelino, vehemently insisted on their innocence, asserting that they were working undercover during the raid that yielded P380 million worth of drugs.

For her part, Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida V. Rueda-Acosta also said there was no deal between the government and her client, Mr. Marcelino. “There’s no deal. He (Marcelino) already had an affidavit since the House committee on justice hearing on the Bilibid drug trade last year and he went there to testify voluntarily but was not allowed to testify.”

In the said affidavit, Mr. Marcelino said Ms. De Lima earlier visited him while in detention to discuss the dismantling of the shabu laboratory in Camiling, Tarlac. According to Mr. Marcelino, Ms. De Lima said: “I can assure you the President is not involved,” referring to then President Benigno S. C. Aquino III.

Mr. Marcelino was freed from detention last Friday, following the release order issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 49.