Dayan: De Lima asked me to hide after House subpoena
The screen of the cellphone of Ronnie Dayan’s daughter, Hannah Mae Dayan, showing her alleged conversation with Senator Leila de Lima. MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB/INQUIRER.net
(Updated)
Sen. Leila de Lima’s former driver and boyfriend Ronnie Dayan on Thursday said the senator asked him to go into hiding when the House of Representatives justice committee subpoenaed him for snubbing the hearings on drug proliferation at the national penitentiary.
Dayan, who said he himself wanted to attend the ongoing probe, said he asked his daughter Hannah Mae to text De Lima to ask what he should do after his sister received a subpoena from Congress. He said the senator was not replying to his text messages so he asked his daughter.
“Ang pagkakasabi ko sa kanila ‘i-text mo si Madam, kunin mo ‘yung opinyon niya kasi dumating na ‘yung subpoena napirmahan ng auntie mo, Tita. Sabihin mo a-attend ako, sabi ko sa anak ko. I-extend mo ‘yan kasi tuwing nagte-text ako hindi siya nagre-reply eh,” Dayan said during the resumption of the congressional inquiry.
“Gustung-gusto kong attendan ‘yung hearing pero ang sabi ni Ma’am sa text niya sa aking anak na si Hannah Mae Dayan, ‘Pakisabi sa kanya magtago lang siya… Kagagawan nila Speaker Alvarez at dikta ni Digong. Pagpasiyensyahan lang at kaming dalawa kapag mag-appear siya sa hearing,” he added.
Citing the supposed text message, Dayan said De Lima did not want him to show up in the hearings because they will be both embarrassed. He said De Lima’s text message to his daughter was sent on Oct. 1, 6:14 p.m.
“Ang reply niya sa anak ko, ‘huwag mo siyang pa-attend… huwag siyang umattend diyan, pagkakaguluhan lang siya diyan, pagkakaguluhan lang siya diyan.’ Sabi niyang ganun, ‘pagtatawanan lang kaming dalawa, magiging kahiya-hiya kami diyan na dalawa,’” Dayan added.
Dayan’s daughter Hannah, who requested to maintain her privacy, showed up at the House inquiry on Thursday, wearing a cap and her face covered with scarf.
Majority Floor Leader Rudy Fariñas asked the 23-year-old Hannah to show before the lawmakers the series of exchanges with De Lima in the mobile phone she used. The phone was also showed to members of the media.
Hannah said the first message she sent was at 5:38 p.m., which read: “Hi tita good pm po may pinapatanog po si pa. bakit daw po may dumating na subpoena sa kanya at ano daw po gagawin nya.”
De Lima’s reply, she said, came at 6:14 p.m.: “Pakisabi magtago lang muna siya.”
Hannah said she immediately replied and asked De Lima if her father would not be arrested if he would not show up, to which the senator allegedlt answered: “‘DI ba nagtatago naman siya?”
Dayan, who was cited in contempt for snubbing the congressional inquiry, was arrested in La Union on Tuesday. Both Dayan and De Lima confirmed their previous relationship.
Dayan said he collected drug money on De Lima’s behalf from confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa five times in 2014, but the senator has vehemently denied the allegations.
CDG/rga
