Malacañang and the Liberal Party (LP) engaged in a word war after Negros Island top drug suspect Ricky Serenio tagged the opposition stalwarts in the illegal drug trade.
The LP vehemently denied the accusations of Serenio that former Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Senator Franklin Drilon were involved in illicit drugs sale in Western Visayas, the region were they came from.
Serenio, whose affidavit was received by the City Prosecutor’s in La Carlota City in Negros Occidental on October 18, claimed that Roxas and Drilon were allegedly protectors of slain drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr., who was shot to death, along with his wife, on August 9, 2016 at Aklan.
This prompted Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to issue a statement that the Department of Justice will conduct an investigation against Drilon and Roxas, based on the affidavit of Serenio.
Aguirre, in an interview with Manila reporters, said he considers the affidavit of Serenio as complaint as it was filed with the City Prosecutor’s Office and his office would be duty bound to act on it.
In response, the LP assailed the administration, claiming that the move is an “all-out attempt to demonize” the party, in an effort to “divert attention from pressing issues” hounding the country.
The opposition party also called on the government to devote more time in investigating the illegal shipment of P6.4-billion worth of shabu that slipped past the Bureau of Customs.
Malacañang on Friday hit back at LP, saying that the opposition party was merely “afraid of its own ghost.”
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, in a statement, denied that administration was behind the testimony of Serenio, a self-confessed bagman of Berya drug group in Negros Occidental.
“The administration has nothing to do with the testimony of a drug cartel bagman Mr. Ricky Serenio, implicating Senator Franklin Drilon and former Secretary Mar Roxas to the illegal drug trade in the Visayas,” Abella, through his assistant China Jocson, said.
"The Liberal Party is afraid of its own ghost after conducting several witch-hunt investigations against their perceived political enemies when they were in power," the presidential spokesman added.
Serenio was arrested on January 8 at Talisay City when he was served a warrant for grave coercion.
The drug suspect was released from detention on March 16 after he posted P720,000 bail for charges on illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and grave coercion.
Serenio has no drug charges despite being the top drug personality in Negros Island.
Early this year, Serenio also linked several ranking policemen and other law enforcers to the illegal drug trade in Negros Island Region. (SunStar Philippines with reports from MPE)