(UPDATED – 1:54 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines — The Volunteer Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) on Monday filed a a criminal complaint against Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros before the Office of the Ombudsman.
The VACC, led by its lawyer, former Negros Oriental representative Jacinto “Jing” Paras, accused the lawmaker of committing three counts of wiretapping, obstruction of justice, and kidnapping.
The wiretapping allegation is in connection with the digital photo of Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II sending text messages during the Sept. 5 Senate hearing on the police killing of Caloocan Grade 11 Kian Loyd Delos Santos, which Hontiveros showed during her Sept. 11 privilege speech.
The senator said that when the picture was enlarged, it revealed that Aguirre was texting a certain “Cong. Jing” who said that, “Naturuan na ni Hontiveros ang testigo [Hontiveros has coached the witness already].
The obstruction of justice and kidnapping allegations are in connection with the senator’s move to place under her custody one of the witnesses in the slay of Delos Santos, whom the lawmaker allegedly prohibited from giving testimony to the Public Attorney’s Office.
READ RELATED STORY: MAGANDANG LABAN | Aguirre wants ‘beautiful fight’ with Hontiveros, readies airtight case vs senator
‘Buking na, nagpapalusot pa’
In a statement issued Monday, Hontiveros said “the cases filed by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre’s group is a desperate attempt to deflect public attention away from their (VACC’s Paras and the DOJ chief’s) text conversation inadvertently captured by someone’s camera lens, which caught them red-handed plotting against me during a Senate hearing inside the Senate.”
“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,” said Hontiveros.
“Bistong-bisto na, buking na buking na, nagpapalusot pa. Nais pa magtago sa likod ng mga walang batayang kaso,” she added.
[They’re already caught but they’re still trying to make an excuse. They still want to hide behind a baseless case.]
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