Aguirre: Issuance of show cause order vs Leila proper

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives was correct in issuing a show cause order against Sen. Leila de Lima as her prevention of her driver Ronnie Dayan from testifying in its probe on the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) was done in her capacity as a private individual, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said.

In a press conference, Aguirre said he supports the move of the House committee on justice to require De Lima to explain why she should not be cited in contempt for ignoring the summons on her and for instructing Dayan to also ignore his and just hide.

He said the issuance of the order was proper and that the Senate need not be dragged into the issue as an institution.

“That (show cause order) should be done because (the act of preventing Dayan from testifying) was done by De Lima in her private capacity. And so the House could cite her in contempt, not as a member of the Senate but as a private person interfering with the proceedings of the House,” Aguirre said.

The justice chief, who spearheaded the fact-finding probe on the NBP drug trade, stressed that De Lima’s excuse that she was just giving advice and not ordering Dayan was a matter of defense.

“It’s good that she raises her defense and stop accusing me and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez this time of concocting lies against her,” he pointed out.

Last Tuesday, House committee on justice chairman Rep. Reynaldo Umali and Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas served a show cause order on De Lima before the Senate.

Several congressmen and senators met last Monday night to discuss the matter and thwart a possible clash between the two chambers of Congress.It was agreed that the show cause order would be addressed only to De Lima and not the Senate as an institution and that the House would not issue a warrant for her arrest and instead just file an ethics complaint before the Senate if she defies the order.