Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez on Wednesday said he would allow the House of Representatives justice committee investigating the alleged Bilibid drug trade to present the alleged sex scandal of Senator Leila De Lima.

“Para sa akin, wala naman sigurong deperensiya na ipanood ‘yan para malaman ng tao kung talagang totoo ‘yan o hindi (I don’t see anything wrong if we show it to the public so the people can judge if it’s true or not),” Alvarez said in an ambush interview after the majority bloc caucus.

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He denied that showing the sex video would be a form of “slut-shaming” against De Lima, who crossed swords with President Rodrigo Duterte when she led a Senate investigation into the extrajudicial killings at the height of the administration’s war on drugs.

Davao Del Norte Rep. Alvarez and Duterte are key allies. De Lima’s strained relationship with the president started when De Lima as then human rights chair investigated Duterte’s alleged links to the vigilante group Davao Death Squad when the latter was then Davao city mayor.

Alvarez called the sex video the only material evidence to prove De Lima had a relationship with her purported lover, her former driver Ronnie Dayan, who inmates in the national penitentiary and a National Bureau of Investigation official said collected pay-offs for De Lima from the Bilibid drug trade.

READ: NBI exec claims he gave P10M ‘drug quota’ to De Lima | 1st witness testifies De Lima got millions from drug lord

“Ipapalabas natin hindi dahil gusto natin panoorin. I-establish lang ‘yung katotohanan kung may relasyon o wala. Kasi ang sinasabing walang relasyon, eh paano mo ipo-prove kung may relasyon o wala. Ito eh, isa itong material para magpatunayan kung may relasyon o wala,” Alvarez said.

(We are going to show it because we want to watch it. We will establish if there is any truth to claims that they are in a relationship. It has been denied before, but how do you prove it? This is the only material that can prove if they have a relationship or not.)

Alvarez said neither the law nor the House rules would be violated if the House justice committee allows the public viewing of the alleged sex scandal.

READ: Aguirre: DOJ may present in court alleged De Lima sex videos | Duterte: De Lima’s ‘sexcapades’ led her to crime, drug pay-offs

“Kung kinakailangan dahil para ‘yun mag-uugnay kung talagang mayroong personal relationship. Kung ayaw naman ni Senator De Lima na mag-appear dito sa House of Representatives, let the public judge kung talagang tooo ‘yung sex video tape na ‘yan,” Alvarez said.

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(It is to prove if she really has a personal relationship with her driver. If Senator De Lima does not want to appear at the House of Representatives, let the public judge

Alvarez denied that the Bilibid investigation in aid of legislation only presented hearsay evidence to destroy De Lima’s reputation.

READ: De Lima laments being portrayed as ‘paid sex worker’

“Itong investigation na ginagawa natin sa Kongreso, madalas ma-misinterpret na we are trying somebody, sinasabi hearsay rule. Hindi naman tayo nagpo-prosecute ng individual dito eh (Some quarters are interpreting the Congressional probe as a trial, and claiming that we are presenting hearsays. But we are not prosecuting an individual here). This is not a criminal proceeding. That’s why the hearsay rule does not apply,” Alvarez said.

He reiterated that the investigation only intended to come up with a law to stamp out the illegal drug trade in the penitentiary.

Alvarez said he has talked to justice committee chair Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali and said that there is no need to recommend charges against De Lima.

“Sinasabi ko kay Chairman Umali at saka sa Committee on Justice, huwag na tayo magrekumenda ng kahit na sino na ipo-prosecute rito. Ang kailangan natin dito ay maglabas ng panukalang batas kung saan ma-a-address natin ang problema sa New Bilibid Prison (I told Chairman Umali and the Committee on Justice not to recommend charges anymore. What we need is come up with proposed legislation to address the problems at the New Bilibid Prison),” Alvarez said. IDL

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