Former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Deputy Director Rafael Marcos Z. Ragos has recanted his testimonies which implicated detained Sen. Leila M. De Lima in the alleged illegal drugs trade at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City when she was the secretary of justice.
Ragos, also former officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) from November 2012 to March 2013, pointed to then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II as the government official who “interrogated and coerced me to admit something that did not happen.”
He said:
“I was forced to execute the affidavits... against Secretary De Lima and Ronnie Dayan (De Lima’s alleged lover) due to threats of being detained myself for the crime of engaging in the illegal drug trade that I did not commit.
“Fearing for my life and my family, I had no choice but to follow everything that these people asked me to do. I also did not want to go to jail for fear of being the subject of acts of revenge by criminals I put in jail as an NBI official and by inmates that I disciplined as BuCor OIC.”
In his four-page affidavit which was notarized in Pasig City last April 3o, Ragos said:
“On Sept. 5, 2016, I executed an affidavit wherein I stated that in November 2012, as BuCor OIC, and together with Jovencio Ablen Jr., I delivered a black bag containing five million pesos (P5,000,000) left in my BuCor quarters to DOJ employee Ronnie Dayan and then Secretary of Justice Leila M. De Lima at the latter’s residence.
“In the same affidavit, I also stated I made another delivery of money with Ablen, this time contained in a plastic bag, in December 2012, also to Ronnie Dayan and Sec. De Lima at the latter’s residence.
“In both instances, I stated that I received a call from an unknown person ordering me to deliver the said black bag and plastic bag to Sec. De Lima’s residence, who also said that the same came from Bilibid inmate Peter Co.
“On Sept. 26, 2016, I executed a supplemental affidavit wherein I added certain allegations of another round of collections for the benefit of Ronnie Dayan and Sec. De Lima starting in January 2013, more particularly from a) Mr. Jorge Goff on behalf of he New Bilibid Prison caterer; b) Jovencio Ablen Jr. as collection from prison inmates; and c) German Agojo for his application for pardon.
“On June 7, 14, 28 and July 12, 219, I testified before the regional trial court of Muntinlupa in Criminal Case No. 17-165 (People v Leila De Lima and Ronnie Dayan) where I reiterated the allegations in the above-mentioned affidavits and House testimony.”
In recanting his testimonies, Ragos said:
“I now hereby declare and make known to the whole world that there is no truth whatsoever to any of these affidavits or House or court testimonies, or any other statement made in media or other investigatory proceedings, including the Senate and the DOJ, on the delivery of monies to Sec. De Lima or Ronnie Dayan in whatever amount.
“There was never any money delivered to my quarters. Even if there was, I would have immediately conducted an investigation and filed a case against the responsible individuals, instead of following the instructions of an unknown caller or Hans Tan to deliver a package like an ordinary messenger.
“Hans Tan never called to order me to deliver any money to Ronnie Dayan and Sec. De Lima that came from Peter Co as their share in the alleged drug trade. Even if he did, I will never follow the orders of a mere Bilibid inmate knowing it to be illegal.”
On the alleged coercion of then Justice Secretary Aguirre, Ragos said in his affidavit:
“In September 2016, about a week before the House Inquiry on the Proliferation of Illegal Drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), I was ordered by former Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, thru Mr. Danny Yan, to attend a meeting in Solaire Resort and Casino in Paranaque with former National Bureau of Investigation Intelligence Director Dante Gierran, and Mr. John Vries. Also present were Intelligence Agent Jovencio Ablen Jr., Roland Argabioso, and lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office, Atty. Rigel Salvador and Atty. Demi Huerta.
“During the meeting, then Sec. Aguirre interrogated and coerced me to admit something that did not happen. He escorted me to another room where Ablen was, and they showed me a copy of a statement. I asked them: ‘Ano Yan?’ (What is it?). Ablen responded: ‘Ginawa naming ni Esmeralda yan, may kopya sya n’yan’ (We did it with Esmeralda, he has a copy of that).
“When I asked Sec. Aguirre what they want me to do, he said: ‘Mag-execute ka ng affidavit, mag-corroborate ka sa statement in Ablen, kung hindi, alam mo naman mangyayari’ (You executive an affidavit, corroborate Ablen’s statement, if not, you know what would happen). Atty. Salvador drafted the Affidavit implicating Senator De Lima in illegal transactions during her stint as then Secretary of Justice (2010 t0 2015).
“In order to be dropped from the Information in Criminal Case No. 17-165 as a co-accused of Sec. De Lima and Ronnie Dayan, I was forced to cooperate with Sec. Aguirre and the DOJ public prosecutors by agreeing to deliver all these false testimonies and sign false affidavits against Sec. De Lima and Ronnie Dayan. I was thus made a witness against Sec. De Lima and Ronnie Dayan and set free.”
Ragos said his affidavit recanting his testimonies against De Lima was executed “freely, voluntarily, truthfully, and without any mental reservation whatsoever, in order to absolve Sec. De Lima and Ronnie Dayan, who are completely innocent, from entirely false and absolutely fabricated criminal charges.”
He then sought forgiveness:
“I beg the forgiveness of these innocent persons who suffered from my transgression of bearing false witness against them. I hope they find it in their heart to do so, knowing that I was only forced to transgress against them to save my own life. May God help me.”
Ragos was the second to recant his testimonies against De Lima.
Self-confessed drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa recanted his testimonies last April 28, two days ahead of Ragos’ affidavit.
In his four-page counter-affidavit submitted to the DOJ, Espinosa said that “any and all of my statements given during the Senate hearings, or in the form of sworn written affidavits, against Senator De Lima are not true.”
“For this, undersigned apologizes to Senator De Lima,” he said.
He was referring to the testimonies he made during the Senate hearings held on Nov. 23, 2016 and Dec. 5, 2016 concerning the death of his father, Albuera Mayor Roland Espinosa Sr., who was allegedly killed by the police while in jail.
De Lima, who is currently detained at the Custodial Center of the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Espinosa, on the other hand, is facing multiple charges before various courts, and is undergoing preliminary investigation before the DOJ over complaints filed by the NBI.
He was transferred early this month of April to the detention facility of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Taguig City after being kicked out from the Witness Protection Program (WPP) for alleged violations he committed.
In hi counter-affidavit, Espinosa said he “had no dealings with Sen. De Lima and I had not given her any money at any given time.”
“Any statements I made against the Senator are false and were the result of pressure, coercion, intimidation, and serious threats to my life and my family members from police who instructed me to implicate the Senator into the illegal drugs trade,” he said.