(Eagle News) — Department of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II denied allegations of Senator Leila De Lima and reports that he had restored the ‘special privileges’ of some high-profile inmates turned witnesses at the New Bilibid Prison.
“Wala pong katotohanan iyan… Iyung official document na magsasabing inutusan ko ng special privileges iyan, kalokohan po iyan. Wala po akong ginagawang ganyan. at hindi ako nagto-tolerate n’yan,” Aguirre said.
According to De Lima, she received a “confidential tip” that the Justice Secretary has restored the special privileges to high-profile inmates led by convicted robber Herbert Colanggo. These alleged privileges restored were the use of air-conditioning, mobile phones, internet and smart television sets.
Aguirre said he gave no such orders.
“I absolutely deny it. I made no such order,” Aguirre said.
He immediately directed the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to verify the matter.
”In connection thereto, you are hereby directed to investigate and verify such report. If so warranted by your investigation, any special privileges granted to these inmates, be it in the form of special favors, improvements and equipment in violation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department of National Defense (DND) and Department of Justice (DoJ), shall be immediately confiscated or dismantled,” the justice secretary said in the memorandum he issued to BuCor chief Benjamin Delos Santos, dated February 8.
Aguirre then pointed out that by using the term “restores,” he said that De Lima is admitting that she had given such privileges to the inmates when she was still the Secretary of Justice.
“However, allow me to point out that Senator De Lima used the term ‘restores’, it only means that she is admitting that such privileges that she claims were restored were existing during her time as Secretary of Justice!” pointed out Aguirre.
“She must be referring to her stint as Secretary of Justice when such privileges abounded and were tolerated in the NBP,” he said.
“She must have a lot of spare time to reminisce about her past. You can only reminisce about factual things, things that actually happened,” he added.
