Malacañang is leaving it to the courts to evaluate the pieces of evidence against detained Senator Leila de Lima after another witness flip-flopped on his earlier statement about the lawmakers' supposed involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar made this statement after former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos recanted his testimony against De Lima.
Ragos claimed that he delivered money on two occasions to De Lima’s home as instructed by a convict in 2012. However, in his sworn affidavit on April 30, he said he was threatened by then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre and added that all his allegations against de Lima were "all fiction, false and fabricated."
In a statement, Andanar said the Palace is leaving the matter to the court.
"We respect the independence of the court handling the case of Senator Leila de Lima, particularly in evaluating the evidence presented, such as the statements of former Bureau of Corrections Officer-in-Charge Rafael Ragos," he said.
"At the same time, we continue to trust the Department of Justice and the National Prosecution Service in performing their mandates in investigating and prosecuting the charges against the lady senator," he added.
Ragos is the second witness to withdraw their allegations against De Lima. Last week, self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa retracted his accusations against the jailed senator as he was "coerced, pressured, intimidated, and seriously threatened" to make such statements.
Espinosa initially claimed to have paid De Lima payout drug money through her bodyguard Ronnie Dayan.
According to Malacañang, the withdrawal of allegations against the lady senator has no bearing on the charges she is facing.
"While Kerwin Espinosa appears to have recanted his allegations against Senator Leila de Lima, his recantation will not affect the pending criminal cases against the lady senator," Andanar said on April 29.
"We have to underscore what the Prosecutor General said -- Mr. Espinosa is not a state witness," he added.
Meanwhile, Andanar described as "hogwash" the remarks of De Lima's lawyer claiming President Duterte was the brains behind manipulating the justice system to jail her with fabricated testimony.
"The remarks of the counsel of Senator Leila de Lima on President Rodrigo Roa Duterte are pure hogwash. Senator De Lima’s case is anchored on her transgressions of our laws and has nothing to do with her political views on the President’s anti-illegal drug campaign or her affiliation with the political opposition," he said.
"The lady senator is currently facing charges before a competent court -- a separate, co-equal and independent branch of government which we respect. Let the wheels of justice keep grinding," he added.
The acting Palace spokesman likewise denied that De Lima was not jailed because of her stand on President Duterte's drug war or her affiliation with the opposition.
"It is anchored on her transgressions of our laws," Andanar said.
" has been afforded her rights to due process while currently facing charges before an independent and competent court," he added.
The staunchest critic of the administration’s war on drugs, De Lima has been behind bars for drug charges since February 24, 2017. She was already acquitted in one of her three cases.
De Lima said she does not regret standing up to President Duterte's "inhumane policies," which she said had kept her in unjust detention for the past five years.