De Lima tells critics: Respect my right to privacy

Senator Leila de Lima. NOY MORCOSO III/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

Senator Leila De Lima has appealed to her detractors to respect her right to privacy and “not impute any more malice” on her personal life.

This after her own admission in a television interview aired Monday night of her past relationship with former driver Ronnie Dayan, who allegedly collected drug money for her at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) when she was still Justice Secretary.

READ: De Lima finally admits romance with Dayan

De Lima has repeatedly denied any involvement in the illegal drug trade.

“I have already said my piece and I would not want to add anything more other than what I have repeatedly said in the past interviews. I do hope that you will respect my right to privacy over my personal life and not impute any more malice,” the senator said in a statement on Tuesday.

“But for the sake of my supporters who may now have questions in their mind about me, let me get this straight again. Like many of us, including my detractors, some decisions and relationships in our past have not been the best and the wisest. I have learned from these experiences and resolved to use my pain to focus on the good I can do,” she said.

De Lima said she has never allowed her personal life to affect her work in public service, reiterating that her record as a public official and her reputation have been untarnished until she was dragged into the drug trade controversy at the NBP.

She first served as chair of the Commission on Human Rights during the time of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and as Secretary of Justice during the past administration.

“I have made my peace with my past and my family. I don’t know if my primary attacker can say the same,” the senator said.

“My mission right now is to stop the extrajudicial killings and summary executions happening in our country, as well as to address other social issues. I am even more determined in pursuing this goal despite the danger to my life and reputation,” De Lima added. RAM/rga