Ronnie Dayan admitted that he received millions of pesos from Kerwin Espinosa for Senator Leila de Lima.
Ronnie Dayan, the former driver and bodyguard of Senator Leila de Lima, admitted that he had received money from suspected Eastern Visayas drug lord Kerwin Espinosa in behalf of the senator.
This was confessed by Dayan after he was caught in La Union on the morning of November 22.
After he was presented to the media at Camp Crame, Dayan was transferred to the House of the Representatives which issued the warrant of arrest for contempt of court after failing to attend the hearings of the panel on illegal drug trade.
In a press conference at the House on Tuesday night, Dayan said he received money from Kerwin so five times in 2014.
“Wala po akong tinatanggap na drug money sa mga drug lords,” he said.
However, when he was asked whether he received money from Espinosa, he said: “Kay Kerwin meron… para kay Senador po.”
Dayan expressed he will ask for immunity in exchange for testifying before the House Committee on Justice, which is conducting the investigation on allegations that De Lima is involved in the drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison.
The former driver-bodyguard of De Lima is labelled as a bagman of the female senator when she collects money from drug lords in the Philippines.
Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, chairman of House Committee on Justice, said the panel will decide on Dayan’s request.
The former driver and security aide of De Lima was earlier found in contempt by the House panel after failure to attend any of the hearings on NBP drug trade despite repeated summons.
In a television interview earlier, De Lima admitted having had a relationship with Dayan.
According to Dayan, the affair lasted for seven years, but he had no communication with De Lima while he was in hiding in La Union.
Dayan will be detained at the Batasan Complex under the House Sergeant-at-Arms.