De Lima got P3M monthly, Colanggo says
De Lima got P3M monthly, Colanggo says
Sen. Leila de Lima, in a privilege speech, describes her ordeal as part of a witch hunt to silence critics of President Rodrigo Duterte, particularly his administration’s war on drugs (Story in Nation, A22)
HERBERT Colanggo, a high-profile inmate in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), told a House inquiry that former justice secretary Leila de Lima received P3 million every month from illegal drug operations inside the penitentiary.
Colanggo is the second witness and was presented to the House committee on justice just a day after Senator de Lima was removed as chairperson of the Senate com-
mittee that is investigating the extrajudicial killings since the start of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
Colanggo alleged that he started giving “PR payola” to the then justice secretary in October 2013 in exchange for allowing him to bring in supplies for his concert. He said that de Lima’s former driver Ronnie Dayan and Joenel Sanchez received the cash.
Aside from the alleged payoff, Colanggo said that de Lima received P1 million after every concert, where he also sold alcoholic drinks.
Colanggo claimed that concerts featuring local celebrities were held inside the NBP during de Lima’s watch. He also said that one of de Lima’s security aides collected the beer sale proceeds.
He also linked former justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan and former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayo to the anomalies inside the national penitentiary.
“Halimbawa meron akong tao na gusto kong ibalik sa maximum, babayaran si Baraan ng P500,000 para maibalik yung inmate sa maximum (For instance, if I wanted an inmate to be placed back inside the maximum security compound, I would pay Baraan P500,000),” Colanggo said.
Bucayo, on the other hand, received P1.2 million in protection money every month, Colanggo further alleged.
Aside from the drug trade, concerts and sale of alcohol, Colangco also said he ran a prostitution ring inside the NBP.
“Kahit walang dalaw, example, sampung model babayaran ko ng P25,000. Tapos bebenta ko ng P70,000 to P75,000 sa mga Chinese sa loob. May hotel ako (Even if it wasn’t a visiting day, I would pay, for example, 10 models P25,000 to go inside the prison. I would then sell them for P70,000 to P75,000 to the Chinese inmates. I practi- cally had a hotel inside),” Colanggo said.
Colanggo said that proceeds from illegal drugs in the NBP were given to Sanchez supposedly for de Lima’s election bid this year.
He told the House committee that he had a chance to talk to de Lima over the phone to verify a P3-million bribe in January 2014.
Colanggo even gave the panel de Lima’s mobile number, which he had used to directly contact the former justice secretary.
The House Secretariat verified the number and confirmed that it really belonged to the former justice secretary.
Cebu Rep. Gwen Garcia made several phone calls to the mobile number to check. “I tried calling the number. It’s in fact in my contact list and registered under the name of Secretary Leila de Lima,” said Garcia.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II presented a certification that the number Colanggo mentioned belonged to the Department of Justice and as assigned to de Lima from December 2012 to October 2015. (Sunnex)