House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas says, the House of Representatives is giving Senator Leila De Lima 72 hours or three days to respond to the Show Cause Orderit it has released for her.
The order stems from De Lima’s absence in the House Committee on Justice’ inquiry on the proliferation of illegal drug trade in New Bilibid Prison.
Fariñas says, the document will be delivered to the Senate Secretary on Tuesday afternoon.
He notes, if De Lima had admitted that she told the daughter of her former security aide to tell her father to snub the House hearing, that action constitutes a criminal offense.
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez says, lawmakers in the House of Representatives respect De Lima’s right to invoke inter-parliamentary courtesy when she ignored the invitation for her to appear in the House probe.
He, however, says, discouraging Ronnie Dayan from showing up in the same inquiry is an act of interference.
Farinas clarifies that Alvarez won’t be issuing a warrant of arrest should De Lima fail to reply to the Show Cause Order.
Instead, House leaders will first observe what the senator will do upon her receipt of the order.
Fariñas says, if De Lima will not give them an explanation, they might file a complaint against her in court or at the Senate Ethics Committee.