(Eagle News) — Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre on Monday filed an ethics complaint against Senator Risa Hontiveros over her alleged violation of the Constitution when she publicly displayed photographs of a “private” exchange of messages between him and another.
Aguirre filed the complaint after he lodged criminal charges for violation of the Anti-Wiretapping Law against Hontiveros in connection with the same incident on Sept. 5 before the Pasay Prosecutors’ Office.
“Yan ang pinakagrabeng nagawa ng isang senador, na habang andun siya sa loob ng Senate, viniviolate niya ang constitution,” Aguirre told reporters.
He said Hontiveros also “disrespected the Senate” and violated the Anti-Wiretapping Law “several times beginning Sept. 5,” when she showed photographs of his text exchange with a certain Jing–whom she identified as former Rep. Jacinto Paras–during the Senate hearing on the deaths of Kian Loyd delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz, and another alleged to be Reynaldo de Guzman.
Hontiveros showed the photographs to point out a supposed conspiracy between Aguirre and Paras to file cases against her.
“Pre-meditated”
According to Aguirre, he could prove that Hontiveros indeed violated the law as an expert has already ruled that he was “99 percent” sure that the photograph of the text exchange was “not inadvertently taken,” as the senator claimed.
“Yan ay pre-meditated, sinadya at plinano,” Aguirre said.