Aguirre files ethics case against Hontiveros

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Monday filed an ethics complaint against Senator Risa Hontiveros and sought either the latter’s suspension or expulsion from office.

Aguirre’s staff filed the complaint with the office of Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, chairman of the Senate ethics committee.

“[I am seeking] that she be suspended or expelled from the Senate...’Yan ang pinaka-grabeng ginawa ng senador eh, na habang nasa loob ng Senate, vina-violate na ang Constitution, sinaula ang Senado at ilang beses niya viniolate ang RA 4200,” Aguirre said in an interview.

The Justice secretary was referring to Republic Act 4200 or the Anti-Wiretapping Act.

Aguirre said the grounds of the ethics complaint he filed against Hontiveros are the same with the criminal complaint he lodged with the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office.

Aguirre accused Hontiveros of three counts of violation of RA 4200 for alleged unauthorized prying into an exchange of private text messages and the subsequent act of making it public.

The criminal complaint stemmed from Hontiveros' privilege speech on September 11 when she claimed to have discovered through a photo of the text message that Aguirre and former Negros Oriental representative Jacinto Paras were planning to file cases against her.

She said the photo was taken by a member of the press during the Senate hearing on September 5 on the death of teenage student Kian delos Santos.

Asked to confirm whether he sent Paras the said text message, Aguirre said: “Ayaw kong sagutin yun kasi lalabo eh.”

“They are irrelevant kasi under the Constitution and under [RA] 4200, anything done in violation of my right cannot be admitted in any forum so it’s as if it was not in existence,” Aguirre said.

Hontiveros is a member of the Senate ethics committee.

She earlier shrugged off the criminal complaint against her, describing it as a "desperate attempt to deflect" the public attention on Aguirre's supposed text exchanges with Paras.  — RSJ, GMA News