Says prying into De Lima love affairs necessary

MANILA - House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Monday defended congressmen who asked sexually charged questions about the love affair of Senator Leila de Lima with her married former driver, Ronnie Dayan, during an inquiry into the alleged Bilibid drug trade last week.

While Alvarez acknowledged that some members of the House of Representatives may have committed mistakes when they interpellated Dayan about his seven-year relationship with the senator, the Speaker also urged critics to remember that lawmakers are "only human."

"Medyo may hindi kaunting hindi tama doon. Kaya lang, siyempre unawain din natin na don sa sitwasyon na iyun, tao rin naman ang mga congressmen," he said in an interview over radio DZMM.

In a separate interview with ANC's Headstart with Karen Davila, Alvarez said it was the "quality" of the questions thrown at Dayan that were somewhat problematic.

As the Speaker, he said he would have to apologize on the line of questioning of some of the congressmen.

"Hindi naman natin maco-control, and those things, I have to apologize kasi siguro in the process, dala rin nung emosyon, nakalimutan nila yung proprieties," he said.

Congressmen in Thursday's hearing had asked Dayan if his love for De Lima had been "pure," when their relationship reached "climax" and if he took a sex video with his former lover.

• 'Slut-shaming' De Lima? Congressmen's questions about a scandal

Several female officials, including Vice President Leni Robredo and Senators Grace Poe and Risa Hontiveros, have castigated the congressmen for "slut-shaming" De Lima with their line of questioning.

Alvarez, however, insisted that asking questions about De Lima's affair with Dayan is necessary to prove that she is a "serial liar" who received drug payoffs from high-profile inmates through her alleged bagmen, Dayan and Joenel Sanchez, another former security aide.

"Mayroon pong connection iyan because she is a woman pretending to be clean tapos kunyari righteous, graft buster, crime buster. Papaano ko ngayon ide-demolish ang credibility niya? Ipapakita ko ngayon ang kabuuan ng kanyang pagkatao," he said.

"Dito makikita na gumagamit talaga siya ng subordinates niya, katulad nitong si Dayan, ginamit niyang taga-tanggap ng pera. Si Joenel [Sanchez], ganoon din, nagkaroon din siya ng relasyon doon. Gusto nating patunayan na itong taong ito ay nagsisinungaling, itong taong ito ay serial liar."

De Lima, for her part, said it is heartbreaking to see lawmakers dwelling on her personal relationships just to implicate her. She also denied her alleged links to the drug trade and slammed the "glaring inconsistencies" in the testimony of House witnesses.

• READ: De Lima blasts 'public hanging' in House probe