Dispatch from Crame No. 858:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima's further comments on the sudden death of Jaybee Sebastian

A news account reported that the wife of Bilibid inmate Jaybee Sebastian went hysterical upon learning of her husband's death. The rather unusual reaction of Sebastian's wife, which included threats to kill all the NBP officials and personnel responsible for Sebastian's death, speaks volume of the dubious circumstances surrounding it. Sebastian's wife must know something about these dubious circumstances to go hysterical and threaten to kill the NBP people.

I am also sure she knows a lot about the intense pressure exerted on Sebastian and his family to falsely testify against me during the House Justice Committee hearings on the Bilibid Drug Trade in September and October 2016. Sebastian refused to falsely testify before the House Committee until he was stabbed and was almost killed inside NBP Building 14 on September 28, 2016. A few days later, he was dragged to the Batasan, with his stab wounds still fresh, to falsely testify against me.

I also recall the text message forwarded to me from an A1 source, emanating from Sebastian's wife. Let me quote said message sent on 21 Sept. 2016:

"Sir kakausapin ko si jb ngayon para papayagin na magtestify na against de lima. Sya na nadidiin ngayon. Sya susi sa lahat. Labag man sa kalooban ko pero sa tingin ng mas nakararami ito ang tamang paraan. Ipapasantabi ko na lang sa kanya galit nya saka na lang hugutin pag ok na lahat.

"Pati po personal na buhay namin sigurado apektado, lumalalim po ang imbestigasyon. Si de lima lang naman kailangan nila. Alam ko mapapatawad kami ng mga anak ko at ng mga naniniwala sa kanya kung sakaling magdesisyon kami ng salungat sa prinsipyo namin. Sorry po."

Here are two (2) other forwarded texts, both sent on 22 Sept. 2016:

- "Matigas jb ayaw mag lie vs de5. They have to do something soonest to provide protection."

- "Jb and wife business and bank accts threatened. Negos underway. was advised to cooperate with lawyer assistance."

These accounts are just one solid illustration of the pressure exerted on those who falsely testified and manufactured stories against me.

Needless to say, Sebastian's death means one less perjured witness against me, but it also means one less witness against Duterte, Vitaliano Aguirre, Jose Calida, Persida Acosta, Sandra Cam, Ferdinand Topacio, certain retired police generals, and all those who conspired to line-up all these Bilibid inmates to manufacture stories of drug-dealing to implicate me and send me to prison.

I need all these witnesses to stay alive, and not to die in prison one by one, so that in the near future they can eventually tell the whole truth about how Duterte and his sycophantic minions connived to set me up and get rid of me.

On the part of Sebastian, his side of the truth on this conspiracy is now buried with him, except for his sworn statement that Jose Calida and Sandra Cam were the ones who approached him and promised to transfer him back to his kubol inside the Maximum Security Compound if he cooperated with them to testify against me. He did testify, falsely, in the House hearings, but only after that near-fatal stabbing incident. He was yet to testify in the court cases.

My advice to Sebastian's widow and the remaining false witnesses against me - tell all that you know. I have always believed that, under any and all circumstances, telling the truth is one's best protection.

Sa mga tumestigo na ang buong akala ay paninindigan ni Duterte ang mga pangako sa kanila: Tingin ba ninyo hahayaan lang kayong buhay ni Duterte na dala-dala ang sikretong nalalaman ninyo na puwedeng gamitin laban sa kanya? Mag-isip uli kayo. May panahon pa...

(Access the handwritten copy of Dispatch from Crame No. 858, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_858)