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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Hontiveros: Wiretapping raps filed against her by Aguirre are 'baseless', 'pure harassment'

Hontiveros: Wiretapping raps filed against her by Aguirre are 'baseless', 'pure harassment'

Published Dec 28, 2021 11:20 am

Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Tuesday the wiretapping cases filed against her by former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre were nothing but baseless accusations.

Hontiveros pointed this out after she, together with her legal team, posted a P36,000 bail at the Pasay City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 46 on Tuesday, December 28.

The case stemmed from an incident where Aguirre accused her of violating Republic Act No. 4200 or the Anti-Wire Tapping Act during the Senate’s hearing on the killing of Kian Delos Santos, one of the controversial killings that occurred during the spate of the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs.

Hontiveros said she is resolute to fight the harassment charges against her by Aguirre.

“Kakampi natin ang batas at ang katotohanan. Protektado ng mismong Konstitusyon ang lahat ng aspeto ng aking privilege speech sa Senado, kaya panatag akong wala akong kahit anong paglabag sa Anti-Wiretapping Law (The law and truth is on our side. The Constitution itself protects the privilege speech I made at the Senate, that’s why I am confident I did not violate the Anti-Wiretappign law),” Hontiveros told reporters in an interview after posting bail.

The senator stressed it was Aguirre and his cohorts who should be held accountable for harassment especially among members of the opposition.

Hontiveros said they were able to prove it was Aguirre himself who was caught in the act of conspiring against a member of the Senate, right inside its premises and while there is an ongoing probe into the extrajudicial killings by the Upper Chamber.

“Isang malaking pambabastos ito sa ating institusyon (That is a huge disrespect to the institution),” she stressed.

“If his text messages were set in fonts large enough to be caught on camera, then he has only himself to blame. He should have known better than to conspire with others in the middle of a public event, in full view of photographers’ cameras. There was no deception or subterfuge involved,” she stressed.

She also said she couldn’t understand why government resources are now being devoted to this “obviously baseless case when we need every peso for rehabilitation and rescue efforts for victims of typhoon Odette?”

“It’s clear this is just black propaganda launched by Aguirre and his minions. But if they think I’ll be scared then they’re wrong...This entire case is unfair, unjust, and a sham,” the re-electionist senator stressed.

Related Tags

Risa Hontiveros anti-wiretapping law Vitaliano Aguirre
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