The House of Representatives leadership will not show compassion on Senator Leila de Lima this Christmas season as it seeks to file criminal and administrative cases against her before Congress goes on Christmas break this week.
House Majority Floor Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo “Rudy” Fariñas, said they will continuously run after De Lima who supposedly violated the House of Representatives as an institution for snubbing the show cause order that the Lower Chamber served before the Senate almost two weeks ago compelling her to explain within 72 hours why she should not be cited in contempt.
DE LIMA OFF TO US, GERMANY
Meantime, members of Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), yesterday held a protest at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to denounce the depaerture of de Lima who was allowed to travel to the United states and Germany.
VACC assistant chief coordinator Annie Jereza said they are afraid de Lima might use this opportunity to evade charges filed against her.
De Lima was expected to leave on Sunday night to receive an award in the United States. She will also be speaker at the Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin, Germany.
“Natatakot kami na baka kapag umalis siya ng bansa ay gamitin niya ito para takasan ang mga responsibilidad at kaso laban sa kaniya. Imbes na umalis ay dapat muna niyang sagutin ‘yong mga nakahaing kaso laban sa kanya (We fear that she may evade drug charges against her once she leaves the countey. Instead of leaving, shw should face charges abnd allegations against her),” Jereza told the Manila Bulletin.
ADAMANT
“Hindi namin ide-defer. Magpa-file na kami. Ready na, marami lang kaming ginawa pero by Monday nandiyan na ang draft and the Speaker will join as complainant,” he said.
“We will file criminal cases for violation of the Revised Penal Code and indirect contempt under the Rules of Court. Then we will file a disbarment before the Supreme Court and one ethics complaint before the Senate,” Fariñas, a stalwart of President Duterte’s ruling Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), said.
“Ako, si Speaker at [Oriental Mindoro Representative] Rey Umali ang main complainants kasi House ang na-violate,” Fariñas said.
Last week, Umali, a lawyer, bared that his committee will lodge a complaint against de Lima before the Senate committee on ethics, file a disbarment case before the Supreme Court (SC), and pursue criminal complaints and cases before the Department of Justice (DoJ) and a regional trial court (RTC) for “violation of Article 150 of Revised Penal Code (disobedience to summons) and probably for indirect contempt.”
He said De Lima should be sanctioned for “exerting undue influence” to her former driver-bodyguard and ex-partner Ronnie Dayan not to attend the congressional probe on the proliferation of illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) during her stint as secretary of the DOJ.
He also noted that De Lima’s admission of her relationship with Dayan would aid them in filing the disbarment case against her.
The post House Bent on Filing Charges vs De Lima appeared first on Manila Bulletin.
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