Ex-Negros solon Paras sues Risa Hontiveros

Former Negros Oriental Representative Jacinto Paras on Monday filed multiple criminal charges against Senator Risa Hontiveros with the Ombudsman for disclosing his supposed text messages with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and for exploiting minor witnesses in the probe of Kian delos Santos’ killing.

In a 20-page complaint-affidavit, Paras charged Hontiveros with three counts of violation of the Anti-Wiretapping Law, and one count each of kidnapping and obstruction of justice.

Paras said Hontiveros should be held liable for exposing the text message of Aguirre which is supposedly a plot towards filing a case against the lawmaker.

Former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras sues Sen. Risa Hontiveros for kidnapping, obstruction of justice, wiretapping. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/0V7jMsXVnz

— TJ Roxas (@tj_roxas) September 25, 2017

Hontiveros earlier said that when the picture was enlarged, it revealed that Aguirre was texting a certain “Cong. Jing” who purportedly said that, “Naturuan na ni Hontiveros ang testigo. Her questions are leading questions.”

Aguirre responded by saying that, “yon nga sinasabi ko dito. Very obvious. Kaya nga expedite natin ang cases niyo vs her.”

Hontiveros said her office obtained the photo from an anonymous source who took a picture of Aguirre and inadvertently captured the exchange of text messages on the phone of the justice secretary.

However, Paras argued that Hontiveros should have not disclosed a private message in the public without the approval of Aguirre even if she acquired the photo from an unknown source.

“That kind of recording by the use of a device such as a camera and recording a private conversation without authority from the people who were conversing or communicating is a violation of (Republic Act) 4200 which is the Anti-Wiretapping Law,” he said.

“Maski sabihin niya na nakuhanan lang yan by accident, pero ginamit niya. Dapat sana tinapon niya sa basura. The fact that she used it and maximize it’s use and used it in a privilege speech and malign Sec. Aguirre, it has an actionable interest in the case,” he added.

Asked if he was really the person Aguirre was texting, Paras replied he never read such a text message from the DOJ secretary. “I will not deny that may mga text messages ako kay secretary... pinupuna ko yung mga, or maybe I have my own opinion on the questions Hontiveros is posing to that witness.”

“If I was alluded to, I admit I may have texted (Aguirre) but I was not able to receive his text message or I might have not read because of the many messages I receive,” Paras said.

Reached for her comment, Hontiveros said that the filing of the multiple charges against her by Paras confirms the “conspiracy” hatched by Aguirre with the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC).

“Hindi ito dapat bigyan ng katiting na halaga at pansin ng publiko,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

“This confirms the conspiracy hatched by Secretary Aguirre and his VACC to expedite the filing of cases against me. It also confirms that the ‘Cong. Jing’ whom Secretary Aguirre was texting was former Representative Jacinto Paras,” she said.

Custody of witnesses on Kian slay

Also in his complaint, Paras accused Hontiveros of taking custody of the witnesses on the killing of Delos Santos in Caloocan City and allegedly brought them to an “undisclosed location and without informing the authorities.”

The former lawmaker said Hontiveros refused to turn over several minor witnesses to the DOJ and the Public Attorney’s Office to facilitate the agencies’ probe on the death of the 14-year-old victim.

“Mrs. Hontiveros was asked or requested to turnover the minor witness or witnesses to PAO and DOJ for a possible interview and investigation but she refused. The purpose of that turnover was for the expeditious course of the case against Kian Lloyd delos Santos,” Paras said.

“The clamor of the people to help justice prevail on the killing of Kian was quite revealing (and yet) Hontiveros refused to surrender the witness which is considered violation of the law constituting an obstruction of justice,” he added. — RSJ, GMA News