Ronnie Dayan, a former aide of detained Senator Leila de Lima, is the latest witness to recant his statement before the Senate, saying that he was coerced by the late former Oriental Mindoro Rep. Rey Umali to testify against the senator.
On Friday, Dayan's counsel Atty. Haidee Soriano told reporters that during the hearing, her client affirmed his judicial affidavit – denying getting P10 million from the then Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos in 2012. The money was supposedly De Lima's share in the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison.
Based on his affidavit, Dayan said Umali, who was then the chair of the House of Representatives committee on justice, forced him to say that he received money from self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.
Both Ragos and Espinosa previously retracted their statements against De Lima.
Dayan said he was forced to follow Umali’s orders since “I was guarded by armed police officers.”
"Dahil po sa kalituhan ko at sobrang pressure na nararamdaman ko noong mga panahon na iyon, sabi ko po kayo na ang sumulat na lang kung ano ang sasabihin ko at iyon na lang ang ilalahad kong testimonya sa Kongreso," Dayan said in his affidavit.
[Out of confusion and intense pressure that time, I told them to just write whatever they wanted me to say and I will give that testimony in Congress.]
Dayan was arrested by police on Nov. 22, 2016, in La Union for snubbing a congressional inquiry.
Soriano said Dayan "was not assisted by a counsel of his own choice, by a competent counsel" during that time.
