Ronnie Dayan (RADYO INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
Ronnie Dayan, the alleged bagman of Senator Leila De Lima, continued to elude authorities after an arrest warrant was issued against him for contempt.
The Office of the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives told lawmakers on Wednesday that Dayan had yet to be arrested.
Members of the House justice subcommittee on correctional reforms were informed of the failure of the sergeant at arms to capture Dayan despite its coordination with the intelligence branches of the police and the military.
READ: De Lima finally admits romance with Dayan
Congress issued a warrant of arrest for Dayan after he failed to appear before House hearings on the alleged proliferation of drugs at the New Bilibid Prison.
Bilibid convicts have tagged Dayan as De Lima’s lover and bagman in the drug trade at the national penitentiary.
Philippine National Police Director for Operations Benjamin Magalong said tracker teams had been formed to hunt for Dayan in Pangasinan but these had not found him in his hometown in Urbiztondo and in nearby areas.
“The latest update is that our tracker teams continue to scour Pangasinan and other provinces. We haven’t received any significant information as of this date,” Magalong said.
National Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin said the bureau had good leads about Dayan but asked not to divulge them to not preempt their operations.
“We don’t want to compromise the safety of our informants. I believe Ronnie Dayan is watching us,” Lavin said of the hearing aired on live television.
“We don’t want to compromise the safety of our informants. I believe Ronnie Dayan is watching us,” Lavin said of the hearing aired on live television.
De Lima has admitted her romance with Dayan, saying they were separated from their marriages. But she maintained that she was not involved in the drug trade at the Bilibid.
House subcommittee chair Misamis Occidental Rep. Henry Oaminal said De Lima’s admission bolstered the need for authorities to arrest Dayan and bring him to the House for interpellation.
“With admission of relationship with Dayan, the testimony of Dayan is very material for the resolution of the illegal drug trade at the Bilibid,” Oaminal said. CBB
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