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Kailan nga ba nagiging mali ang pagmamahal: De Lima confirms relations with her driver Dayan

The Philippine Senator Leila de Lima has finally broke her silence and confirmed her relationship with her former driver and bodyguard Ronnie Dayan.

De Lima made the confession exclusively on Winnie Monsod’s “Bawal ang Pasaway” program, which aired Monday evening, November 14, on GMA News TV.

“Frailties of a woman,” the lady senator reportedly said when Monsod asked why, given her status, she fell in love with a driver like Dayan.

She was quoted as saying it was borne out of trust: “We became so close. That’s it. I trusted him. Siyempre, naano po ang loob ko.”

De Lima had kept silent about the affair even as President Rodrigo Duterte himself was using it as ammunition in his invectives against the senator, reported Manila  Bulletin.

The closest to admission she made was during an earlier interview on ABS-CBN News Channel, when she said she was “very close” to her former driver/bodyguard.

While not disclosing when the relationship with Dayan began, De Lima reportedly told Monsod it went on for a “few years” until they ended the affair before her senatorial bid.

She reportedly said Dayan had long been estranged from his wife.

In one of the House of Representatives inquiries on the alleged Bilibid drug trade, De Lima’s former bodyguard, Joenel Sanchez, claimed her relationship with Dayan ended in March 2015 after he got jealous with De Lima’s new bodyguard, whom he identified as Warren Cristobal, said the news portal.

She also reportedly admitted to helping Dayan financially, but not in the construction of his home in Urbiztondo, Pangasinan.

Dayan is being accused as De Lima’s bagman for the money from the drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison that she used to fund her 2016 senatorial bid. He had not been seen in his house in Urbiztondo since the controversy cropped up, reported Manila Bulletin.

While De Lima reportedly said Dayan illicitly using her name to collect drug money is “within the realm of possibilities,” she remained doubtful, saying she would have known if it was true.

But the former justice secretary belied the allegation—which the president primarily propagates—that her campaign kitty came from drug money.

“Very clear ang instruction to the staff na huwag tayo basta-basta tumanggap galing sa hindi natin kilala, at least hindi natin alam ang background. Lalo na iyong ganyan, mga drug lords, mga convicts, mga sino mang notorious na mga tao. Hindi tayo pwedeng tumanggap diyan. Ang alam ko po, sinunod po iyan ng staff ko,” De Lima reportedly told Monsod.

She reportedly reiterated the disclosure she made in her statement of contributions and expenses (SOCE) before the Commission on Elections.

Her SOCE indicated she had spent P86,153,300.49 and received P86,831,095.19 from 190 individuals, making her the 14th biggest spender and 12th biggest recipient, respectively, among 2016 candidates, reported Manila Bulletin.

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