4th ethics complaint filed vs De Lima

A fourth ethics complaint was filed against Sen. Leila de Lima on Thursday, this time by House Deputy Minority Leader and Kabayan Party-list Rep. Harry Roque Jr.
(Photo: Leila De Lima/ Facebook)

MANILA—A fourth ethics complaint was filed against Sen. Leila de Lima on Thursday, this time by House Deputy Minority Leader and Kabayan Party-list Rep. Harry Roque Jr.

Roque filed his complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee on the basis of De Lima allegedly conspiring with former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Love Foundation chair Ron Salo, who is also a representative of the Kabayan party-list to remove him from the House of Representatives.

“…De Lima criminally conspired with Rep. Ron Salo to hide her involvement in the illicit drug activities in the NBP (New Bilbid Prison) and to stop me from digging deeper into their criminal activities there,” Roque’s complaint read.

He further said that De Lima also deceived the public about her relationship and criminal conspiracy with Ronnie Dayan, her former security aide and alleged drug money bagman.

Roque said that what led him to file a complaint was a personal reason and that he did not consult with the House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez before filing the complaint.

“For me, the cause of action is really personal. The attempt to remove me from Congress is to keep me quiet and to punish me from my active participation in the investigation into the proliferation of the illegal drug trade in Muntinlupa.

“When she didn’t say from the beginning that she and Ronnie Dayan had a domestic relationship, of course this was to hide the truth that Ronnie Dayan was her bagman,” he added.

The congressman also cited De Lima as being an “enabler and beneficiary of illicit drug trade at the NBP when she was the Secretary of Justice.”

Roque was hopeful that the Senate Ethics Committee would vote for De Lima’s expulsion from the Senate.

Last December 12, House leaders filed the third ethics complaint against De Lima for barring Dayan from appearing before the congressional probe into illegal drugs at the NBP.

The complaint was drafted by Umali, House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

Umali said that filing of the ethics complaint simply meant that De Lima, former Justice Secretary, has been “violating the law, violating the rules of congress, and violating her oath as a public (official).”