During the second day of the House inquiry on the proliferation of drugs at the NBP, witness Noel Martinez said fellow inmate Sebastian, whom he described as Sigue-Sigue
Commando commander and chair of the Presidyo Side at the NBP maximum security compound, asked for his help in February 2013 to gather funds for De Lima's senatorial bid.
A month before that, Martinez claimed De Lima had visited Sebastian in his office.
"Noong Enero 2013, isang umaga, tinawagan ako ni Jaybee at sinabi na darating si Sec. Leila de Lima sa kaniyang opisina bandang hapon," said Martinez, reading out his sworn affidavit before the House justice committee.
"Nang pumunta ako kinahapunan ay naroon nga si Sec. De Lima. Naroon din ang mga pinuno ng iba't ibang pangkat at ipinakilala ang bawat isa sa amin kay Sec. De Lima," he added.
The House Justice committee is conducting an inquiry on the alleged proliferation of the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary during the term of De Lima as Justice secretary.
Four new witnesses have been scheduled to testify on Wednesday.
'Centralized drug trade'
In his meeting with Martinez in February 2013, Sebastian reportedly said that in order to gather enough funds for De Lima, the drug trade inside the penitentiary should be "centralized," by tapping the various inmate groups within the NBP.
In exchange for their help, Martinez said Sebastian promised to give his group "protection and special treatment."
Martinez, commander or "bosyo" of the Genuine Ilocano Group, maintained that his group does not engage in the illegal drug trade. Instead of helping sell drugs, Martinez said he just offered to recommend to Sebastian people who could peddle drugs outside the NBP.
Martinez said that during "the last months of 2013," Sebastian told him De Lima would once again be visiting him at th NBP. "At totoo nga na dumarating ito sa kaniyang opisina," said Martinez.
"Sa lahat ng pagkakataon ng pagpunta ni Sec. De Lima sa kubol ni Jaybee, silang dalawa ay iniiwan namin pagkatapos ng kainan. Sa ibang pagkakataon naman ay ang driver ni Secretary De Lima na si Junel Sanchez ang nagpupunta kay Jaybee at kumokolekta ng
pera," said Martinez.
Martinez said Sebastian eventually told him that De Lima and Sanchez were no longer in good terms. "Si alyas Makoy na ang pumupunta sa Bilibid para kumuha ng pera," the witness said, but did not specify any date when the visits happened.
In his affidavit, Martinez also claimed that former Bureau of Corrections director Franklin Jesus Bucayu had demanded P500,000 from him, through a certain "Col. Elly."
Martinez said he did not have such amount, but ended up asking for P300,000 from a Chinese fellow inmate to give it to Col. Elly, who eventually demanded money from Martinez every week.
"Kaya kapag pinapunta ako ni Col. Elly sa opisina niya, alam ko na na kailangan kong magbigay ng pera," said Martinez.
Martinez also said Sebastian once approached him to tell him that one of his [Sebastian's] men outside the NBP had been apprehended by authorities. Martinez said a certain Jad de Vera came over to work out the "areglo" for the release of Sebastian's men who had been arrested.
Martinez also said in his affidavit that he is one of the so-called Bilibid 19 who were transferred from the NBP to the National Bureau of Investigation following a raid at the penitentiary in December 2014.
De Lima: Testsimonies were fabricated
In a privilege speech on Tuesday, de Lima said she received credible evidence that inmates and gang leaders were taken by the Special Action Force (SAF) deployed at the NBP for “overnight interrogation sessions in an effort to fabricate testimony."
"Prisoners are being selected and isolated just to be intimated into implicating me and to fit the President's narrative that I am a drug lord coddler, aside from being the most evil woman in the planet," she said.
The senator warned her critics supposedly fabricating evidence against her that their “day will come.”
Via GMA News