Hontiveros says Koko helping Aguirre in case against her

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday accused Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III of helping Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II hunt for the person who took the picture of his incriminating text message with a certain "Cong. Jing" last year.

Hontiveros said the Senate released to Aguirre the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage he requested without informing the concerned persons or offices.

In a privilege speech, she said on February 13, her office received a copy of a "Motion to Admit Supplemental Complaint Affidavit and to implead one of her consultants, Davidde Kyle P. Venturillo as one of the respondents" in connection with the wiretapping case Aguirre filed against her.

Aguirre filed the case in October last year after Hontiveros exposed his supposed text message to Cong. Jing, who turned out to be former Negros Occidental representative Jacinto Paras.

Aguirre's text message was about how Hontiveros allegedly "coached" a witness during a hearing by the Senate on the killing of teenager Kian delos Santos, which was blamed on the Duterte administration's war on drugs.

Hontiveros said her office obtained the photo from an anonymous source who took a picture of Aguirre and inadvertently captured the message on his phone.

She said the Motion is an attempt by Aguirre to support his contention that she was supposedly conniving with a photographer who deliberately and with premeditation sought to capture the contents of his mobile phone during a Senate hearing.

Witchhunt

"What deeply concerns me is the involvement of the Senate as an institution in this case filed by Aguirre against me in his personal capacity, and the willingness of the Office of the Senate President to abet a witchhunt not just against me, but against my 23-year-old consultant," she said.

She said Aguirre requested Pimentel for a list of all members of the media, photographers and staff present during the hearing.

She also said Aguirre likewise requested for footage of the entire hearing of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on September 5, 2017, CCTV footage of the Senate's entire 5th floor, ground floor, lobby and entrance, including the Senate elevators inside and outside.

The Justice secretary also requested Pimentel to furnish him with copies of her staff's personal data sheet, identification cards, pertinent personnel records and photographs, Hontiveros said.

The neophyte senator said in the four letters, Aguirre used the letterhead of the Department of Justice, with bar code and control number of the DOJ, and signed by him and lawyer Jolas Brutas.

Attachments

She said attached in the Motion as Annex “C” is the affidavit of the Section Chief of the Integrated Electronics and Technical Section of the Office of the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, attesting to the authenticity of seven DVDs turned over to the DOJ covering the second floor, fifth floor and ground floor of the Senate premises on September 5, 2017, and the session hall during my privilege speech on September 11, 2017.

Hontiveros said attached also was the transmittal letter of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms transmitting the CCTV tapes to Aguirre.

A memorandum with the letterhead of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms was also attached in the Motion, confirming that Venturillo was issued a Senate security pass for 2017.

"Nais kong i-manifest na ni minsan hindi ako sinabihan tungkol sa mga requests na nabanggit. Bilang miyembro ng kapulungang ito, ni minsan hindi binigay sa akin ang kortesiya na sabihan na ‘yung mga personnel records ng staff ko ay tinitingnan at pinapaalam sa iba,” Hontiveros said.

She said she anticipated that Aguirre would use the weight and might of his office to influence prosecutors below him in the conduct of preliminary investigation, but she did not anticipate that he would also be using this to influence the Senate, and use it for a fishing expedition against those whom he perceives to be his enemies.

No subpoena

Hontiveros also said she did not expect the Senate to give in to the request of Aguirre without any judicial notice nor subpoena.

“There was no subpoena. The Senate was under no legal compulsion to release the documents requested. The letters were but personal letters from Mr. Aguirre who is, for all intents and purposes pertinent to his request, merely a party-litigant to a case,” she said.

She said she already wrote Pimentel about the matter but he has yet to respond.

Koko's side

Pimentel was presiding over the session when Hontiveros made her privilege speech. He called for a recess and went down to officially answer his colleague.

Pimentel initially apologized to Hontiveros for not giving a reply immediately as he was feeling under the weather but he stood by his decision to release the CCTV.

He said when he saw the letter, he immediately referred it to the Office of the Senate Legal Council and was told that almost all the information are public records.

“That guided the offices when OSAA released the footage and the application for ID.  These were only two documents, items  released.  There was no PDS released,” he said.

He, however, took offense on the Hontiveros remarks that he is compromising the security of the personnel.

"It is unfair to charge my office of compromising the security of my personnel," he said. "It was actually a negative certification that we released because he (Venturillo) was not yet your staff when the request was made."

Pimentel said his office did not make any effort to identify the person and that Aguirre made the investigation himself. "I don’t think my office is to blame," he said.

Senator Francis Pangilinan asked the ethics committee to hand down a ruling on the matter.

Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, head of the committee, said they will gather the facts and recommend to the body the findings and steps that should be taken. —KBK, GMA News