The Leader of the Lower House will let the Committee on Justice decide whether to show Senator Leila de Lima’s sex video on the House inquiry.
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez clarified he will dictate the Committee on Justice whether to show the alleged sex video of Senator Leila de Lima during the investigation.
On Monday, Alvarez said it is the House justice committee that will make the final determination whether or not to allow the showing of the sex video in a public hearing.
When asked if there was still a need to show the video, Alvarez said. “It’s up for the committee to decide.”
However, he has advised the House panel to conclude the inquiry it is conducting once it has already obtained a complete picture of the issue and is ready to issue a committee report for the members to study.
Alvarez further revealed that a group of women legislators have talked to him.
According to him, they expressed their objection to the plan to make public the supposed sex video of De Lima and his driver, Ronnie Dayan.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier revealed that Dayan is allegedly to have collected drug money for de Lima from the high profile inmates of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.
This Thursday, the justice committee will conduct its next hearing regarding the proliferation of illegal drug dealing inside the national penitentiary during the time De Lima was Justice Secretary.
“I have nothing personal against the women. I am one with them in protecting their dignity, in the same way that I am one with the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community in protecting their rights,” Alvarez said.
“I told the women legislators to work it out with the committee, so that the matter (video showing) would no longer have to reach my office,” he added.
The House leader earlier said that he would not oppose the showing of the video “if it would help establish solid facts.”
“There are allegations that she has a personal relationship with the driver [Dayan], who was also the alleged collector [of drug money],” Alvarez had said.