House justice chair cool to showing De Lima ‘sex tape’ in probe
Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, who chairs the House of Representatives justice committee, on Wednesday said he is cool to the idea of showing the alleged sex video of Senator Leila De Lima during the investigation on the Bilibid drug trade.
In an interview, Umali said the sex tape allegedly showing the affair between De Lima and her alleged lover Ronnie Dayan may be crucial in fulfilling the purpose of the resolution calling for the inquiry in aid of legislation on the proliferation of drugs at the national penitentiary.
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier called the sex video the only material evidence to prove De Lima had a relationship with Dayan, who the inmates in the national penitentiary and a National Bureau of Investigation official said collected pay-offs for De Lima from the Bilibid drug trade.
READ: NBI exec claims he gave P10M ‘drug quota’ to De Lima | 1st witness testifies De Lima got millions from drug lord
Bilibid inmates pointed at high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian as being De Lima’s favored drug lord who collected pay-offs for De Lima as then justice secretary from the illegal drug trade at the national penitentiary.
“For as long as it is germane to the purpose of the resolution, we will see sino ba ito? Is it Jaybee Sebastian and Senator Leila? Or is this inside the Bilibid Prison? We will look into that pero they will have to first tell us what is the relation of this particular video to the resolution subject of this inquiry,” Umali said.
Umali said he as committee chairperson would subject to a vote among members of the committee whether or not to show De Lima’s alleged sex video during the inquiry.
“As you well know, it’s not just me. I’m just one of several members of the justice committee. We vote upon that if needed be, and syempre, majority wins diyan,” Umali said.
Umali said the committee has summoned to the inquiry her alleged favored drug lord Sebastian, Dayan, De Lima’s security aide Joenel Sanchez, former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayo, and Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission Executive Director Reginald Villasanta.
Philippine National Police (PNP) deputy chief for operations Benjamin Magalong earlier testified that Villasanta was with Bucayo when the latter pleaded Magalong not to pursue with the PNP’s planned Bilibid raid, that was instead led by De Lima and the National Bureau of Investigation. Bucayo said he could get killed if the PNP pushes through with the raid.
READ: Solons raise eyebrows over De Lima’s NBP raid sparing Sebastian
De Lima’s raid allegedly spared his favored drug lord Sebastian, although the former justice secretary said Sebastian was a government asset. She denied Sebastian collected drug money for her.
Meanwhile, inmates alleged Sanchez was also De Lima’s bagman in the drug trade.
READ: Colangco: Security aide Sanchez is De Lima’s bagman
Sebastian was hurt in a prison riot at the Bilibid maximum security compound Wednesday morning, raising speculations the attack was connected to his testimony in the House inquiry.
READ: De Lima Bilibid ‘asset’ hurt in riot; high-profile inmate killed
The riot occurred at about 7:30 a.m., when fellow inmate, convicted police officer Clarence Dongail caught inmates Peter Co, Tony Co, and Vicente Sy having a “pot session” inside their cell.
Tony Co reportedly went to the cell of Sebastian and Dongail and attacked Dongail with a knife, sparking the riot. Tony Co was killed in the riot. Peter Co is in critical condition. JE
