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Aguirre distances self from sex video, denies having copy

The Philippine Star

October 5, 2016 | 6:17pm

MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Wednesday denied that he said he would play a sex video that he says features Sen. Leila De Lima.

Aguirre, who has been participating in the House Committee on Justice probe on the proliferation of drugs in the New Bilibid Prisons, already said Tuesday that he will not be presenting the video at the hearings.

READ: Aguirre: 'De Lima' video will not be played in House probe

"Unang-una, I never said that I'm going to play the video," Aguirre said in a press briefing of the DOJ, Wednesday. He had earlier said that the DOJ can play the video in court, supposedly to prove that de Lima had a relationship with her former driver and alleged bagman Ronnie Dayan.

Aguirre also added that it will be the House committee that will decide whether the video will be shown to members of the committee. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who initially said he would allow the video to be shown in the interest of finding out the truth, has already said that the decision will be left to the panel.

De Lima has denied being in the video and said the issue was meant to discredit her for questioning the government's war on drugs and the rise of killings linked to it.

The Senate has already adopted a resolution opposing showing the video. It said doing so would be "illegal, violative of inter-parliamentary courtesy and decency, and an affront to women's dignity."

The resolution, which was originally filed by women senators but was supported by the body, said showing the video would be illegal. Showing it would alse be "a blow to our collective struggle to uplift the dignity of the woman, respect her agency and her autonomy over her own body, and is a form of slut-shaming that will not set a good example for the country," the resolution said

Senators Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon and Bam Aquino earlier released a joint statement opposing the proposed showing of the alleged video.

"Regardless of the authenticity of the alleged videos, viewing it is disrespectful to a sitting senator, to her person, and to the office she holds, and is violative of the law," the senators said.

Gabriela Women’s Party also stated that showing alleged videos is unnecessary, and said that the hearings should focus on evidence of the alleged governement officials in the illegal drug trade.

"Showing of the alleged video muddles the issues central to the investigations into the links between government officials and the drug trade,” Gabriela Rep. Emmi De Jesus said in a statement.

Several campaigns also surfaced in social media sites, opposing the showing of the videos.

Aguirre added that he never had copies of the three alleged videos, and was only able to watch from somewhere else.

"Never na nagsabi ako na ako ang mag-papalabas. Unang-una wala naman akong video e. Nakapanood ako minsan," Aguirre said.

He had earlier said that the videos were with the National Bureau of Investigation.

Aside from Aguirre, President Rodrigo Duterte, Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez and Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza have said that they have seen the supposed video and said that De Lima was in it.