House Committee Issues Show Cause Order vs. Sen. de Lima

House committee wanted Senator Leila de Lima to explain through the show cause order.

The House justice committee issued a show cause order against Sen. Leila de Lima regarding her connection to the absence of Ronnie Dayan on the hearings of the chamber.

The order was issued on Thursday after it was found out that de Lima allegedly advised her former driver-bodyguard Dayan not to testify in the House inquiry on illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison that is why he was held in contempt by the House.

The justice committee ordered the female senator to show cause why she should not be held in contempt for supposed obstruction of justice.

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ABS party-list Rep. Eugene Michael de Vera made the motion to issue a show cause order.

“Since the testimony of Mr. Ronnie Dayan pertains to the fact that the Hon. Sen. Leila de Lima prevented him from testifying before this committee and in the interest of fair play, let us hear first Sen. De Lima, I move that a show cause order be issued by this committee to Sen. Leila de Lima why she should not  be cited in contempt,” said De Vera.

During the hearing on Thursday, Dayan testified that it was De Lima who advised him to hide and skip the House proceedings.

According to Dayan, he originally wanted to obey the subpoena issued to him by the House of Representatives, but De Lima allegedly discouraged him.

“Ang reply niya sa anak ko, ‘huwag mo na siyang pa-attend… huwag siyang umattend diyan, pagkakaguluhan lang siya diyan.’ Sabi niyang ganun, ‘pagtatawanan lang kaming dalawa, magiging kahiya-hiya kami diyan na dalawa,” Dayan said, referring to the exchange of text messages between her daughter and de Lima.

“Gustong-gusto kong attendan yung hearing pero ang sabi ni Ma’am sa text niya sa aking anak… ‘Pakisabi sa kanya magtago lang siya…. magtago lang muna siya,” he added.

On the same hearing, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said De Lima could held liable for contempt and obstruction of justice for telling Dayan to continue hiding.

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