A P1-MILLION bounty will be given to anyone who will provide information on the whereabouts of Senator Leila de Lima’s bodyguard-driver, Ronnie Dayan.
At a news conference in Quezon City, Dante Jimenez, founding chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, said the reward money came from private individuals, starting with P100,000 from the VACC itself.
Ferdinand Topacio, VACC lawyer, said at least seven businessmen donated money to raise P1 million.
He presented the bounty to the media.
“I and two of my friends were having a dinner one night when it crossed to our minds if we could raise a reward money for Dayan’s arrest. They pledged to give out P100,000 each, then the effort just snowballed until it became P1 million,” he said.
He said no politicians were involved.
Topacio said the VACC will coordinate with the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group as to how to administer the reward.
“Police have a protocol. They would set up a hotline as all informants will be assigned their own codenames,” he said.
On Oct. 10, the House of Representatives’ committee on justice cited Dayan for contempt for his failure to attend the congressional inquiry into the proliferation of drugs at the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City.
It unanimously decided to cite Dayan in contempt for his absence despite being issued a subpoena on Oct. 1.
One Ernesto Florita received Dayan’s subpoena at his known address in Urbitztondao, Pangasinan.
Several high-profile NBP inmates testified that Dayan acted as De Lima’s bagman in the national penitentiary’s drug trade, raising money for De Lima’s senatorial campaign.
On national TV Monday, De Lima admitted she had a romantic relationship with Dayan that went on for years.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III said a big-time politician from the north was harboring Dayan, but would not say who it was.
Aguirre said the National Bureau of Investigation provided him the information, but he declined to give further details because it was still being validated.
“Apparently, he is being protected. He is hiding in the North. He is protected by a big-time politician in Pangasinan and other Northern Luzon provinces,” the Justice sectary said.
Aguirre added that he found nothing wrong with the VACC offering a reward to help authorities find Dayan. With Rey E. Requejo
