Driver/bodyguard Ronnie Dayan takes oath during the Congress hearing on illegal drug trade in National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
Cracks in the parchment started to show after Ronnie Dayan, the alleged bagman of Senator Leila de Lima, flatly denied the allegations of drug lords from the New Bilibid Prison that he served as the bagman of De Lima in the drug trade there.
During his testimony at the reopening of the House of Representatives inquiry into the Bilibid drug trade on Thursday, Dayan said he never met any of the convicts in the Bilibid who all pointed at him as De Lima’s bagman in the Bilibid drug trade.
“Hindi ko po sila kilala lahat. Hindi ko pa sila nakikita ng personal. ‘Yun ang totoo (I don’t know any of them. I haven’t seen them personally. That’s the truth),” Dayan said.
When asked if he knew Jaybee Sebastian, said to be De Lima’s favored drug lord who allegedly raised campaign funds for her, Dayan said he only knew Sebastian by name but not personally.
Inmates said Dayan collected the drug money from Sebastian, but the latter had alleged it was De Lima’s former security personnel Jonel Sanchez who was the bagman.
Dayan refuted the inmates’ claims that it was he who collected De Lima’s drug kickbacks from the Bilibid drug trade, adding that he had no knowledge about the drug trade inside the penitentiary.
Asked if he received any money for De Lima from the drug trade, Dayan said: “Wala po sir. Walang inabot sa akin (None sir. No money was handed to me).”
Dayan said the only money he delivered to De Lima was from alleged Eastern Visayas drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.
Dayan said during the times he accompanied De Lima in the Bilibid, he only accompanied the senator up to the gate of the penitentiary or to the director’s office.
Inmates said Dayan always accompanied De Lima inside the state penitentiary.
Dayan also denied the allegations of National Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Rafael Ragos that the he gave him millions of drug money for De Lima from Chinese drug lord Peter Co.
Co testified earlier that he gave drug money for De Lima to Ragos.
READ: Drug lord admits ordering Ragos to deliver drug money to De Lima | Dayan denies receiving money from NBI exec for De Lima
Dayan has admitted delivering money from Espinosa to De Lima amid their romantic relationship.
He has said he gave drug money from Espinosa to De Lima at least five times in 2014. Espinosa, however, said he gave De Lima at least P8 million in 2015 for the justice secretary’s senatorial campaign.
READ: ‘She even thanked me’: Kerwin claims De Lima aware of delivered money | Dayan admits delivering Kerwin’s money to De Lima
Dayan was arrested in La Union around 11:30 a.m. last Tuesday after he was cited in contempt for snubbing the House of Representatives inquiry on the proliferation of drugs at the New Bilibid Prison implicating De Lima.
READ: Ronnie Dayan arrested in La Union
During the turnover by the police to the House of Representatives Tuesday night, Dayan admitted receiving drug kickbacks from Espinosa for De Lima, an allegation the senator said was a lie.
READ: Dayan admits delivering Kerwin’s money to De Lima | Dayan tells De Lima: Stay strong
Bilibid inmates who testified in the House inquiry tagged Dayan as the one who allegedly collected millions of kickbacks for De Lima from the drug trade for her senatorial campaign.
READ: House cites Ronnie Dayan in contempt; arrest order out
De Lima has vehemently denied the allegation, pointing out that allies of President Rodrigo Duterte have an ax to grind against her since she has crossed swords with him. De Lima, as human rights chair, investigated the alleged links of Duterte to the Davao Death Squad when the latter was mayor.
De Lima has admitted having an affair with Dayan, but said both of them were separated from their spouses at the time. De Lima has also expressed fear Dayan might be forced to testify against her. RAM/rga
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