MANILA — The camp of detained Sen. Leila de Lima on Thursday said the "truth is coming out" after a fifth witness recanted his claims against her, prompting them to renew a call for the justice department to review and dismiss her remaining drug cases.

Marcelo Adorco, a key government witness, denied knowing and transacting with De Lima. He also took back his allegations against self-confessed narcotics trafficker Kerwin Espinosa, who supposedly gave the senator drug payoffs when she was still justice secretary.

• 'Not true': Kerwin Espinosa recants all allegations vs De Lima, says lawyer

De Lima’s legal counsel Filibon Tacardon said Adorco’s recantation only highlighted "the pattern of witnesses admitting to being threatened and coerced to tell lies and pin people down."

“Sa tingin namin, sumasalamin ito sa matagal na naming sinasabi na ang mga kaso laban kay Senator De Lima ay pawang gawa-gawa lamang ng mga taong tinakot at ginipit para gumawa ng kasinungalingan at palabasin na si Senator De Lima ay sangkot sa bentahan ng ilegal na droga,” Tacardon said in a statement.

(We think this reflects what we have long been saying, that the cases against Senator De Lima were all fabricated by people who were threatened and coerced to lie and make it appear that she was involved in the illegal drug trade.)

Tacardon urged the Department of Justice to "review" and "junk" the cases against the senator.

“Lumalabas na ang totoo kaya patuloy ang panawagan namin sa DOJ na muling suriin ang mga kasong isinampa nila laban kay Senator De Lima at tuluyan nang ibasura ito at palayain ang mahal nating Senadora,” he added.

(The truth is coming out, so we continue urging the DOJ to again review the cases they fiiled against Senator De Lima, junk them, and free our beloved senator.)

• DOJ says it won’t withdraw drug case vs De Lima

De Lima said she was hopeful that more people would come out and speak the truth to help prove her innocence.

“As Duterte, the mastermind behind my unjust detention, is about to step down from power, we’ve seen the pattern of personalities finally speaking the truth and finding it in their conscience to retract their allegations implicating me in the illegal drug trade,” she said.

Detained since 2017, De Lima calls the drug charges against her “political persecution” allegedly spurred by her criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-narcotics crackdown, which his administration denies.

Four other witnesses have recanted their allegations against the senator, including Espinosa, former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos, her former bodyguard Ronnie Dayan, and convicted murderer Joel Capones.

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