De Lima: EX-NBI chief ‘may have lost his mind’

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday she believes former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) “may have already lost his mind” when he asked a Manila regional trial court to issue a writ of to protect him from her and his former colleagues.

De Lima issued her comments on the same day two witnesses from the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), a religious group to which Gatdula belongs, testified that the threats against his life and liberty are real.

De Lima said she does not understand why Gatdula filed a petition for a writ of for her and some NBI officials to stop “further threatening his life, liberty and security” and to prevent them from filing “bogus charges” of frustrated murder against him for the failed ambush of NBI deputy director Reynaldo Esmeralda.

She said Gatdula should face the charges against him by Japanese woman Noriyo Ohara.

“I don’t know if I should pity him or laugh at Gatdula because of what he is doing... Maybe because of his bitterness, that he could not accept what has happened. Maybe he is losing his mind,” De Lima said.

In a text message to reporters, Gatdula’s lawyer, Abraham Espejo, cried foul over De Lima’s remarks.

“De Lima’s statement that Tanggol is crazy is hurtful. Millions of INC members will not be happy. What she said was too much,” he said. “The man is down and now he is called crazy.”

Threats real, INC witnesses say

Two members of the INC testified before a Manila regional trial court yesterday that threats to the life and liberty of former National Bureau of Investigation director Magtanggol Gatdula are real.

Jim Bryan Malabuyoc, 31, and Michael Lim, 27, testified before Judge Silvino Pampilo Jr. that there were two separate occasions that armed men went near the New Era University, an INC school in Quezon City, asking about Gatdula. The former NBI chief frequently visits the school.

The two incidents happened just days after the Feb. 21 ambush on Esmeralda.

Malabuyoc said at around 7 a.m., he was approached by two men in civilian clothes who introduced themselves as NBI investigators, but did not present any identification cards. He said they had handguns tucked into the waistband of their pants.

He said they showed him a photo of Gatdula and asked him if he saw him or knew him. He said they also asked him if he knew about the ambush. He said no to all the questions.

He claimed one of the men said Gatdula has to “answer to the law.”

Assistant Solicitor General Amparo Cabotaje-tan asked Malabuyoc if the two men stated if they were sent by either De Lima, Esmeralda or NBI officer-incharge Nonnatus Caesar Rojas. He said no.

Lim said that on Feb. 23, he saw a red Toyota Innova parked outside the school. He said there were three men with handguns and a long firearm in the car.

He said the men asked him if knew Gatdula and if he was inside the school. He told the men, who said they were from the NBI, that Gatdula was indeed in the school.

Lim said he heard one of the men say Gatdula “is a wanted man,” and another man saying, “He is inside. We could hit him.”

He said he was so scared he went into the school to tell their legal department and Gatdula about the incident.

When asked by Cabotaje-tan if he remembered the license plate number, he said he did not even look at the license plate.

During the hearing, Espejo also said in open court Gatdula has “sensitive information” that could not be revealed in public, but only to the lawyers, the judge and Cabotaje-tan and her team.

Incompetent, irrelevant

Cabotaje-tan said the testimonies of the two witnesses are “incompetent and irrelevant.”

The witnesses “were never told that the persons would kill Gatdula. They only asked where Gatdula was,” she said in court. Espejo said the witnesses and his client felt fear. After the hearing, Cabotaje-tan said “the witnesses presented did no point to any act on any of the respondents pointing to a violation or threat on the rightful life, liberty and security of Gatdula.”

Espejo said it is “an incredible and fantastic requirement” to wait until Gatdula is tortured, ambushed, shot or arrested before they can file a petition for a writ of .

He said they named De Lima, Esmeralda and Rojas as respondent since they are the ones who have the evidence in the ambush.

“They might be tampering with the evidence to implicate Gatdula. We just want to preserve the evidence,” Espejo said.

He then asked President Aquino to fire De Lima, saying “if they can do this to Gatdula, they can do this to anyone.”