Sen. Leila de Lima (left) has told the Senate ethics committee that she should not be punished for ‘advising’ her former driver and lover Ronnie Dayan (right) to not attend the hearing of the House of Representatives on her alleged drug dealings at the New Bilibid Prisons. INQUIRER FILES
Senator Leila de Lima believes that she should not be punished by the Senate for advising her former aide and lover, Ronnie Dayan, not to attend the House of Representatives’ investigation on the alleged proliferation of illegal drugs at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) during her stint as Justice Secretary.
De Lima said she filed her counter affidavit before the Senate committee on ethics last week where she gave her side on a complaint filed by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, chair of the House committee on justice.
READ: Ethics complaint vs De Lima filed at Senate
“Gusto ko po sanang maintindihan ng aking mga kasamahan lalo na yung mga members ng ethics committee na intindihin yung aking perspektibo, intindihin ang aking sitwasyon dyan sa mga ginagawa po sa akin,” she said in a television interview on Monday.
De Lima had called the legislative inquiry a “kangaroo court” while declining invitations from House leaders for her to appear and challenge claims by NBP inmates that she collected millions in drug money from them in exchange for VIP treatment.
READ: De Lima calls House probe ‘Duterte’s kangaroo court’
“Dapat maintidihan din po ng mga nasa ethics na yung sinasabing pag impluwensa ko o pag utos ko kay Ronnie Dayan ay hindi po yun utos, hindi po yun impluwensya. Yun ay isa lamang advice dahil hiningi ho yung aking advice o opinyon kung dadalo sya .”
“So hindi po dapat ako parusahan dyan sa pagbigay ko ng advice kay Ronnie Dayan,” the senator added.
Dayan was in hiding when he, through his daughter, Hannah, sent a text message to De Lima, asking her what to do with the subpoena issued by the House justice committee against him.
Responding to the text, which was later shown during the House probe, De Lima told Dayan not to attend the probe, which she said was just meant to embarrass them both.
READ: Dayan: De Lima asked me to hide after House subpoena
“Pakisabi sa kanya magtago lang siya… Kagagawan nila Speaker Alvarez at dikta ni Digong. Pagpipyestahan lang sya at kaming dalawa kapag mag-appear siya sa hearing na yan,” said the senator in her text to Dayan’s daughter.
The Senate ethics committee chaired by Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III proceeded with the investigation after it found the complaint against De Lima sufficient in form and substance. CBB/rga
RELATED STORY
Ethics complaint vs De Lima has form, substance — Sotto