Sister receives summons for De Lima’s driver

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – There was no way to know here if Ronnie Palisoc Dayan, the former driver of Sen. Leila de Lima, would appear in Thursday’s resumption of the House inquiry on the proliferation of drug syndicates inside the New Bilibid Prison.

A team of policemen served the House subpoena on Oct. 1 in Dayan’s house in Barangay Galarin in Urbiztondo town in Pangasinan, said Senior Supt. Ronald Oliver Lee, Pangasinan police director.

“But he was not there. His wife and his children were not there. So we had it received by his [older] sister, Elmita Torreta,” said Lee.

Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, chair of the House committee on justice, ordered Dayan to appear on Oct. 6 and 7.

Dayan allegedly collected money from drug lords operating inside the national penitentiary, on behalf of De Lima who had denied the allegation. But as of Wednesday, Dayan had not yet contacted the justice committee, according to a committee staffer.  —GABRIEL CARDINOZA