EDITORIAL - Alternative facts

The other day the nation was told by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre Jr. that the wife of a Bilibid convict who blew the whistle on Sen. Leila de Lima’s alleged involvement in drug deals at the national penitentiary was injured in an ambush at the Circuit in Makati. This, however, was promptly denied by the Makati police.

How hard would it be for the secretary of justice to verify with authorities first before telling the public that there was such an attack? Whether Aguirre deliberately fed the public wrong information or was a victim of a bum steer, it can only erode the credibility of the head of the Department of Justice.

Credibility is critical as government prosecutors go after opponents of the administration who are being linked to drug trafficking. Yesterday denials and denunciations were issued by former Liberal Party senator Jamby Madrigal and Laguna Rep. Marlyn Alonte-Naguiat that they had offered P100 million to certain high-value Bilibid convicts to retract testimonies linking De Lima to drug deals at the penitentiary. Naguiat ran under the LP but jumped to President Duterte’s party the PDP-Laban after the elections.

Those are serious accusations that must be backed by something more than the word of the justice secretary. Because of the personal dynamics between President Duterte and De Lima, it is easy for the public to believe that she is a victim of political persecution. Such perceptions can undermine efforts to end drug trafficking and other criminal activities operated from the New Bilibid Prison.

Held without bail, De Lima faces life in prison if found guilty. She has promised to put up a spirited fight. In this battle, her defense will be bolstered by perceptions of bias on the part of prosecutors and judges handling the cases against her.

If evidence of guilt is strong, there is no need for any public official to embellish the truth with alternative facts. The government must not lose sight of the principal enemy in this war: not De Lima but the drug menace.