MANILA - One of the lawmakers who drew flak for his manner of asking Ronnie Dayan about his past relationship with Senator Leila de Lima took to the plenary of the House of Representatives to defend himself.

According to 1-Ang Edukasyon Rep. Salvador Belaro Jr., he asked questions not out of curiosity but to establish the "power relations between De Lima and Dayan."

"Whether Dayan was a person of such a character to overpower Senator De Lima so as to make the latter susceptible to the former's intervention in government affairs in such specific matters as receiving money for the latter, meeting people and making decisions for the latter and appointing people to the Bureau of Corrections," he argued.

He also stressed that they did not intend to disrespect De Lima, but the colorful language he used was what the situation called for.

"...it may have been colorful but that is called for by the situation not only because the witness himself displayed a penchant for such colorful language such as 'sinasalat' and 'walang basagan ng trip ' but also because the subject matter of the inquiry is itself very delicate in nature," Belaro said.

Belaro apologized to those who were offended or hurt by what he said, but he also blamed the media for its "selective reporting."

"I wish to apologize to all my friends and supporters who were hurt… I also wish to apologize to all the women and men who reacted negatively… I was never my intention that in doing my job I shall cause pain and injury to anyone… Please do not blame us as we also are victims of this selective reporting of the media who instead of focusing on the relevant matters in the investigation, focused on the personal lives of the members of this body," he said.

Belaro received flak for asking mundane details about Dayan and De Lima’s relationship, such as De Lima’s favorite food and whether Dayan liked “sili” (chili).

Belaro also asked Dayan when Dayan and De Lima “reached their climax” in their relationship and whether they celebrated their anniversary.

“Kailan ka niya sinagot? Anong month? Kasi sabi mo wagas ang inyong pagmamahalan,” Belaro asked Dayan.

“Paano mo masasabi na nasa Intensity 5 ang isang relasyon? 2007 anong intensity yun? Kailan kayo nag-climax, intensity 5, anong year?