(Eagle News) — I will not resign.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre had this to say on Tuesday, in response to calls he step down following the dismissal of drug charges against Kerwin Espinosa and others by his agency’s National Prosecution Office.
“There’s no reason why I should resign because wala akong kasalanan..Hindi mo naman masasabing nalusutan (ako) kasi di pa nakakarating (sa opisina ko),” he said.
He said at the time news about the matter broke “prematurely,” the “(motion for reconsideration) filed by the (Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) was not even resolved yet, and the Office of the Secretary has not yet exercised its power under automatic review.”
He said PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa has also admitted that “one of the most important evidence(s)” against Espinosa, his confession he was a drug distributor during a Senate hearing in 2016, was not submitted by the CIDG.
“Kung iyan sinubmit, then merong corroborative evidence kay (Marcelo) Adorco. That submission might have tilted the balance in favor of the prosecution,” he said, referring to Espinosa’s driver who was the sole prosecution witness in the case.
He said even then, he already issued a department order on Monday “vacating the dismissal of the case.”
He said he has ordered that the “cases be wide open for both parties,” which means the prosecution, and Espinosa’s camp and the others—could submit the evidences they did not submit before.
“I-submit nila (prosecution) iyang mga hindi nila na-submit katulad niyang admission sa Senate hearing. I-submit nila iyong sinasabi natin dito na mga travel records nila. Travel records of Peter Lim, kasi may sinasabi si Adorco doon, na mag-meet sila sa Bangkok (for the delivery of shabu to Espinosa),” Aguirre said.
He said he has talked to President Rodrigo Duterte about what happened, and he “couldn’t feel that whiff of no trust and confidence (in him).”
“Even if wala (akong kasalanan), nakaramdam ako na kulang ang pagtitiwala sa akin (ng Presidente), mabilis pa sa alas cuatro, resign tayo,” he said.