House to file ethics case vs De Lima

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives will most likely file an ethics complaint against Sen. Leila de Lima with the Senate for alleged obstruction of justice.

Rep. Harry Roque of party-list group Kabayan said yesterday he would discuss with the committee on justice his proposal that congressmen initiate a complaint if senators refuse to take action against their colleague.

He, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and other House members are accusing De Lima of obstruction of justice for advising her former driver-bodyguard Ronnie Dayan to go into hiding and ignore the subpoena for him to testify in its inquiry into the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

Dayan heeded the advice of his former boss. The House subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest. He was arrested early this week.

On Thursday, Roque and Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay separately urged the Senate to investigate De Lima and expel her if she does not resign.

Roque said senators could take action against their colleague without waiting for a complaint from the House or any interested party.

“I’d like to see what the Senate would do to save its integrity. Any senator could initiate an ethics committee probe. I’d like to see who would. The facts are already a matter of public record,” he said in a television interview.

In the absence of a complaint from any senator, he said the Senate ethics committee could motu propio (on its own) investigate De Lima.

“I’d like to see them taking action because it is the Senate that is on the spot here. Otherwise, we might be forced to file the needed complaint,” he added.

Atienza said Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III should do what is necessary to expel De Lima or make her resign.

Based on their pronouncements, Pimentel and his colleagues would not take unilateral action and would rather wait for congressmen to file a complaint.

“How come they want the Senate to act as if there is a final determination of the actual facts? Let us not be too excited. Let the House do what they have to do, observe due process, observe proper procedure, then give the Senate the official result of their findings,” Pimentel said.

“The House has not even charged her with anything and has not even come out with a final order. Let’s wait and see what they’ll do and cross the bridge when we get there,” he said.

“We have our own rules. For a member of the House to tell the Senate to do something, do your thing first before you ask us to do something,” he said.

Fariñas indicated that the process of sanctioning De Lima would start with the House.

He said the order of the committee on justice for the senator to explain why she should not be cited for contempt of its inquiry should first be served on the senator.

After that, the committee could decide whether “to file an ethics complaint with the Senate and/or the Supreme Court,” he said.

Meanwhile, NBP insiders said Dayan was lying when he denied knowing convicted drug lords or frequenting the national penitentiary to collect drug money.

NBP sources said the Anti-Money Laundering Council should scrutinize Dayan’s bank transactions since 2010 so that authorities can establish the extent of his role in the NBP drug trade.

“It’s unbelievable. Even without any confrontation with NBP inmates, concerned authorities, like the AMLAC, can always look at Dayan’s bank transactions,” a source said.

Dayan told the House committee on justice last Thursday that he had gone to the NBP only a few times when De Lima was justice secretary. The Department of Justice has jurisdiction over the NBP.

“How could that be? He is not telling everything and I could only surmise that he is trying to protect himself,” another source said. – With Jaime Laude