Quoted hereunder is the continuation of the testimony of Rafael Ragos, former Deputy Director of the National Bureau of Prisons as narrated by the Muntinlupa court in its decision, to wit:
“He complied with the delivery of the money upon the advice of Hans Tan, who despite being an inmate, received instructions beforehand from accused Dayan that if there was something for them, the same should be delivered to him. Deputy Director Ragos could not recall the exact date and time when Dayan told him this particular message but he can recall Dayan telling him that ‘[n]andyan ka na, bahala kana sa mga natatanggap mo para sa akin.” Thereafter, he called Jun Ablen to accompany him to the residence of accused De Lima located in Laguna Bay, Subic Bay Drive, South Bay Drive Subdivision, Parañaque City.
“They were able to enter the subdivision going to accused De Lima’s house because he was a frequent visitor there, so the guards knew him. Accused Dayan opened the pedestrian gate, entered, and handed the black bag to him. After he handed the black bag, they proceeded to the front door where accused De Lima was waiting. Accused Dayan then handed over the bag to her.
“The second delivery took place on December 15, 2012, and again he received a call from Hans Tan who told him to deliver it to Dayan. After he arrived at the De Lima’s house he handed the plastic bag containing the money to Dayan upon entering the pedestrian gate.
“Deputy Director Ragos continued that on January 1 and 2, 2013, Dayan approached him while he was at the house in South Bay Village and told him to collect money for accused De Lima’s campaign funds. He also believed that the reason why his designation as BuCor was cut-short was because accused De Lima did not want him to stay long at the BuCor as accused Dayan was not happy with the amount of money he got inside.
“His impression on why Peter Co was giving money to accused Dayan and De Lima was due to the ongoing illegal drug trade inside NBP. Peter Co is one of the perceived drug lords convicted of drug offenses now at the BuCor. “
On page 26 of the decision, the Muntinlupa court acknowledged that the prosecution was able to prove the existence of extensive illegal drug trading in the National Bilibid Prisons:
“Under the evidence on record, the prosecution was able to sufficiently establish the existence of rampant illegal drug trading at the NBP. The prosecution successfully proved the complex network of transactions wherein high-profile inmates at the NBP controlled and managed the illegal trafficking of drugs through the use of electronic mobile devices. Moreover, the prosecution witnesses testified on how these inmates were able to broker drug transactions from within the NBP.”
Necessarily, since the illegal drug trade raked in millions of pesos to the detained drug lords who operated it, money inside NBP flowed.
The testimonies of Ablen and Ragos proved that De Lima received money from the drug
lords, establishing the source of the money, and proving that the accused De Lima was part of the conspiracy to commit illegal drug trafficking. Her receiving the P10 million drug money explains why the manufacture, sale, and distribution of prohibited drugs operated inside NBP which was under the supervision and control of accused De Lima as the then-Secretary of Justice.
(To be continued)