(Eagle News) – Ronnie Dayan, the former driver-bodyguard and lover of Senator Leila de Lima, admitted that he received money from suspected Eastern Visayas drug lord, Kerwin Espinosa, at least five times, for the former Justice Secretary in 2014.
This information, Dayan revealed, in the course of a press conference Tuesday night (November 22) at the House of Representatives in Quezon City after he was turned over by the Philippine National Police (PNP)
Answering reporters’ questions on issues raised against him, Dayan vehemently denied that he was a drug-user, nor did he sell drugs, saying that he hated illegal drugs. He also denied that he received any drug money.
But when asked, if he got money from Kerwin, he candidly said yes, and said that this was upon De Lima’s instructions.
“Sa drugs, never po akong nag-take ng drugs, never akong nagbenta ng drugs. Talagang ayaw ko yung drugs na yan. Yung pagkakadawit sa akin sa drugs, gawa-gawa lang nila yun. di po totoo yun na ako po at nagbenta ng isang kilong drugs (I never took drugs, never sold drugs. I really don’t like those illegal drugs. My being dragged into this drugs thing, that was all fabricated. It was not true I sold one kilo of [illegal] drugs),” he said when asked about allegations that he was into the drug trade or the drug business.
Asked if he was getting money from drug lords, Dayan said no, he was not.
“Wala po akong tinatanggap na drug money sa mga drug lords. (I was not receiving drug money from drug lords)” he insisted.
“Eh yung si Kerwin? (How about from Kerwin)” Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Farinas asked.
“Kay Kerwin meron (From Kerwin, yes there was),” Dayan said.
“Anong meron?” Farinas asked.
“Meron akong natatanggap (I was receiving something),” Dayan answered, explaining he got money from Kerwin Espinosa.
“Para sa iyo? (For you?)” pursued Farinas.
“Para kay senadora po (For the senator),” clarified Dayan.
He said that this happened five times in 2014, before De Lima decided to run for senator.
“Limang beses po sir (Five times sir),” he told congressmen and the media people who were there.
He said that all these happened in 2014, because in 2015, he already resigned as De Lima’s bodyguard-driver.
-Dayan said he just gave money directly to De Lima-
When asked by a reporter, how much money he got for De Lima in those five instances, Dayan said he did not know since he did not count the money he received from Kerwin.
“Hindi ko na binibilang kung magkano ang binibigay sa akin. Kasi basta pag inabot lang, ilalagay ko lang sa sasakyan, pagdating sa bahay, tsaka ko lang inaabot din kay madam, (I didn’t count anymore how much [money] was being handed to me, because once it is given to me, I will just put it inside the car, and when I got home, only then will I give it to Madam),” Dayan said referring to De Lima.
Asked if the former justice secretary knew about the money, Dayan said he was sure that De Lima knew about it.
“Natural sigurado alam nya , dahil syempre titingnan nya yun, (Naturally, for sure, she knows that, because of course she will see that),” said Dayan who also admitted that he and the Senator was already “living in” together at the time.
Dayan explained that he started working for De Lima in 2007 in her law firm.
Dayan said it was in 2008 that De Lima started work as chair of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
Asked by a lawmaker, why he got money from Kerwin Espinosa, Dayan answered that he was just following De Lima’s order.
“Yun po ang utos ni Ma’am e, kaya susunod lang po ako sa utos (That was Ma’am’s instruction, so I was only following orders)” Dayan said referring to De Lima.
“Secretary pa lang siya (She was then the Justice secretary). Hindi pa siya senador (Not yet a senator),” he said.
Dayan said he would also ask seek immunity from Congress when he appears on Thursday, November 24, at the House Committee hearing.
-Dayan said affair started in 2007-
Dayan said that she and De Lima started their relationship in 2007.
“Since 2007, driver bodyguard ako ni Ma’am, hanggang nagkaroon kami ng relasyion, tumagal mga pitong taon (Since 2007, I was Ma’am’s driver-bodyguard, until we had a relationship which lasted for seven years),”Dayan explained.
In 2015, he said he resigned as De Lima’s bodyguard but did not mention the reason.
House Committee on Justice chair Rep. Rey Umali, said Dayan would be provided a lawyer of his choice when he testifies at the House committee hearing probing the proliferation of illegal drugs at the NBP, on Thursday, November 24.
The full video of the late night presscon was shown on government channel, PTV4.