(Eagle News) — The controversial former driver and lover of Senator Leila De Lima, Ronnie Dayan, testified that De Lima had told him to “hide” and not appear in the House committee on justice investigating the alleged illegal drug operations at the New Bilibid Prisons, after he consulted her on the subpoena he had received for the hearing.
De Lima’s instructions came through two text messages received by Dayan’s daughter, Hannah May, whom he had initially requested to text De Lima on October 1, 2016.
Hannah initially texted De Lima saying he was asked by his father to text her, as they had just received a subpoena for him to appear at the House hearing investigating the NBP illegal drugs trade.
She told the lawmakers that the text was: “Hi Tita. Gud pm po. May tinatanong po si Pa. Bakit daw may subpoena siya at anong gagawin nya?”
The text was dated Oct. 1, 2016 at 5:38 p.m.
The lady senator texted at 6:14 p.m. on the same date: Pakisabi sa kanya, magtago lang muna sya. kagagawan yan ni Speaker Alvarez at dikta ni Digong. Pagpipiyestahan lang siya at kaming dalawa kapag nag-appear siya sa hearing na yan.
Hannah said her follow-up text was: “Hindi po ba siya huhulihin kapag di siya pumunta?”
To this, De Lima replied: “Hindi ba nagtatago naman siya?”
Because of this, Dayan said he decided not to appear at the hearing.
Dayan said he then decided to hide after De Lima did not reply anymore to the text messages her daughter had been sending to her.
The phone number used by De Lima was 09178422759. Her daughter, when asked under what name it was registered, said, “TL” which allegedly stood for “Tita Lai.”
Ilocos Norte Rep. Rudy Farinas also noted that he had the same phone number registered under the name of De Lima in his cellphone. He said the last communication he had with De Lima was when he congratulated her in July this year.
Akbayan Rep. Harry Roque also manifested that he had the same number registered in his cellphone under De Lima’s name.
“For the record, my phone also reflects the same number,” Roque said.
Farinas said they would have to study what to do with this “undue interference” allegedly exerted by De Lima on the House inquiry.
“Pag-aralan na namin kung ano ang gagawin naming about this contemptuous act,” he said.
He again asked Ronnie Dayan if there was any undue pressure exerted on him, and Ronnie answered there was none.
Farinas then asked Dayan to tell the hearing what he had repeatedly told him to do during the inquiry.
“Magsabi lang po ng totoo,” Dayan replied.