Ronnie Dayan, the former bodyguard and security aide of Senator Leila De Lima, has been arrested in La Union.
Operatives from the local police and agents of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) nabbed Dayan at about 11:30 am on Tuesday in Sitio Turod, Barangay San Felipe, San Juan town.
A warrant of arrest was previously issued against him when he failed to appear in the House inquiry on the proliferation of illegal drug trade in New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Dayan was earlier tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte as the alleged link between De Lima and the high-profile inmates of NBP.
The inmates had supposedly provided then Justice Secretary De Lima drug money to fund her senatorial bid in the 2016 elections.
De Lima had repeatedly denied these accusations.
The senator held a press conference on Tuesday morning, reacting to reports that suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa had allegedly given her 8-million pesos.
She said, “hindi ko po siya kilala. Hindi ko po sya matandaan. Wala po akong kilala sa Espinosa family. (I don’t know him. I don’t remember him. I don’t know anyone from Espinosa’s family).”
She also called on her detractors to stop the villification campaign against her.
She said, “sana huwag na nilang dagdagan ang kalbaryo ko… yung papahiyain ako (I hope they will stop adding to the pains they have caused me… those who are humiliating me).”
Espinosa is expected to appear in the hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Order on Wednesday morning.
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