Senator Leila De Lima INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
Senator Leila de Lima is now having second thoughts facing her former aide Ronnie Dayan in next week’s hearing of the Senate, lamenting how some “(chauvinistic), sickening sexist pigs” of congressmen focused on their past affair during last week’s hearing of the House of Representatives.
“Baka hindi, hindi ako dadating du’n sa punto na mag-testetify sila, especially si Ronnie Dayan pero mag attend ako ‘pag iba na, tapos na ‘yung testimony ni Dayan,” De Lima said at a press briefing in her office on Thursday.
(I might not show up during their testimony, especially Ronnie Dayan’s, but I will attend the other parts after Dayan has testified.)
“I just don’t want to create an atmosphere na ganu’n ulit although I trust my colleagues in the Senate that they are more professional, much more decent than their counterparts in the House especially the House committee, na you know some of them are really (chauvinistic), sickening sexist pigs, she said.
READ: Robredo, female senators hit solons’ sexism
Dayan was invited to the next hearing on Monday of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, along with suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, who has already appeared before the committee. Both have implicated De Lima in the illegal drug trade.
READ: Dayan admits delivering Kerwin’s money to De Lima
Unlike some members of the House justice committee, De Lima said she trusts that her colleagues would be more professional and decent in asking questions during next week’s hearing of the Senate.
“Although hindi ko sinasabing pagpipyestahan din kami tulad noong nangyari sa (I am not saying that we will be ridiculed here like what happened in the) House because as I said I trust more my colleagues here. They are more professional, they are more decent, they are much fairer than those in the House committee,” she said.
“Hindi ko nilalahat ang members ng House. ‘Yung mangilan-ngilan lang na nandu’n sa House committee na ganun ang gianwa during last Thursday’s proceedings (I am not saying all members of the House are like that. I am just describing some members of the House committee who mocked us),” the senator added.
READ: ‘House shouldn’t apologize for scrutinizing De Lima-Dayan affair’
De Lima reiterated that Dayan, who testified in the House probe, and Espinosa were both lying when they claimed that they have received money from the latter.
She insisted that she never knew Espinosa and could not recall meeting him although they had a picture together at Burnham Park in Baguio City.
“I never dealt with Kerwin Espinosa, I did not know him. I have not met him. I have not remembered meeting him. First ko lang po s’yang nakita doon sa hearing last time dito sa Senado. Maski nga may picture, hindi ko talaga s’ya matandaan (It was my first time meeting him during the hearing in the Senate. Even if there is a picture, I could not remember meeting him),” said the senator.
READ: De Lima to Espinosa: May God forgive you for your lies
Also contrary to Espinosa’s testimony, De Lima said she could not remember anybody being introduced to her as “batman.”
“Robin siguro (Maybe, Robin),” the senator said in jest.
Espinosa claimed that Dayan introduced him to De Lima as “Batman” when he met her at the park. But Dayan himself denied it.
De Lima believes that the credibility of the two were already “destroyed,” citing the inconsistencies in their testimonies.
“Lalo ngang destroyed ‘yan (Their credibility will be destroyed further) if they will suddenly change their version so that they would corroborate each other. That’s too late for them to correct that,” she said. IDL/rga