Drug boss allegedly gave De Lima P1.5-M

MANILA - Senator Leila de Lima’s former driver and alleged lover, Ronnie Dayan, engaged in at least P27 million worth of drug transactions with slain drug lord Jeffrey ''Jaguar'' Diaz, an inmate of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) claimed Thursday.

Engelberto Durano, a former policeman convicted of murder and kidnapping, also alleged that Diaz gave P1.5 million in cash to De Lima, when she was still Justice secretary.

Durano told lawmakers that Dayan approached him in January 2014 with an offer for "business protection" in exchange for contributing drug money to De Lima's 2016 campaign funds. It was then that the witness allegedly introduced the driver to his long-time friend, Diaz.

“Tinawagan niya (Dayan) ako at sinabing kung kailangan ko ng ‘proteksyon’ sa aking ‘negosyo’ ay tulungan namin si Secretary De Lima sa kanyang pangangampanya bilang senador sa 2016," he said.

"Sinabi ko kaagad na mayroon akong kaibigang nakalaya na sa pagkakakulong at mayroon siyang malaking ‘negosyo’ ng pagbebenta ng shabu sa Cebu. Tinutukoy ko noon si Jeffrey Diaz alyas ‘Jaguar.’”

[Dayan called me, saying that if I need protection for my business, we should help Secretary De Lima with her 2016 senatorial bid. I immediately answered that I have a friend who has been released from prison and who runs a big business of selling drugs in Cebu. I was referring to Jeffrey Diaz alias ‘Jaguar.’]

After a month, Diaz started supplying shabu to Dayan’s alleged man in Zamboanga Del Norte, a certain police Chief Inspector Joenel Pederio, the witness said.

Aside from the transactions with Pederio, Dayan also allegedly had his own deals with Diaz. Durano said P27 million from these transactions were coursed through Dayan’s three bank accounts with BDO Unibank.

Durano added that in November 2014, the drug lord instructed him to hand P1.5 million in cash to De Lima inside the NBP office of Jaybee Sebastian, another high-profile inmate accused of directing prison gangs to raise funds for the lawmaker.

“Tumawag si Jaguar sa akin at binigyan ako ng instruction na balutin maayos ang pera para na ‘di pansinin. Naghanap ako ng kahon ng sapatos, saka ko nilagay ang pera sa loob at ibinalot ko ang kahon ng gift wrapper… Sinabi niya na wala kang bibigyan na iba kung hindi si Secretary De Lima,” the witness narrated.

[Jaguar called me and instructed me to wrap the money inconspicuously. I looked for a box, placed the money inside and covered it in gift wrapper... He told me not to give it to anyone else but De Lima.]

“Pagpasok ko sa opisina ng BTV 3 (Bilibid TV Channel 3) ay nakita ko na naroon din si Jaybee Sebastian at Hans Tan. Inabot ko na kay Secretary De Lima ang kahon na may lamang 1.5 million.”

[When I enterted the BTV3 office, I saw Jaybee Sebastian and Hans Tan there. I handed the box containing P1.5 million to De Lima.]

Durano added that as he walked away, he saw De Lima strutting like a fashion model and holding to a pole while talking to Sebastian.

“Nakita ko na lumalakad siya na parang model papunta sa gitna na poste na bakal sa BTV-3, sabay hawak sa poste at sa kayang scarf, at nagsasalitang, ‘Okay ba Jaybee?'" he said. “Ang naisip ko, parang dance instructor si Secretary kaya lang, may edad na siya.”

[I saw her walking like a model towards a metal pole in the center of the BTV3 office. She grabbed the pole and her scarf, and said 'Is this okay, Jaybee?' I thought she looked like a dance instructor, but she's already old.]

Durano said Diaz also sold at least 50 kilos of drugs every month with the help of now fugitive Kerwin Espinosa, the son of Albuera Mayor Ronaldo Espinosa, Sr. of Leyte province.

The slain drug lord also allegedly sourced drugs from NBP inmate Peter Co, who was among three prisoners wounded in a stabbing incident last week.

Diaz was killed in an encounter with policemen in Las Piñas last June. His family has denied that he is involved with the narcotics trade.

De Lima repeatedly denied the accusations against her while Dayan's whereabouts remain unknown. -- With a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News