Senator tells Justice chief: Go ahead, file complaints

SENATOR Risa Hontiveros is unfazed by a threat of Justice Secretary Vitaliano ethics complaints against her for violating his privacy and the anti-wiretapping in her recent privilege speech.

Hontiveros at the same time maintained that she did not commit any violation since a text message exchange between Aguirre and a certain “Cong. Jing” was “inadvertently caught by someone’s camera lens.”

The Justice secretary on Wednesday against the senator before the Senate ethics committee apart from planned criminal and civil charges in relation to- her privilege speech where she publicly disclosed his personal text conversation.

Hontiveros, in her privilege speech on Monday, called for the resignation of Aguirre for plotting against her based on the text message exchange between the Justice secretary and a “Cong. Jing,” whom she believes to be former congressman Jacinto “Jing” Paras.

Based on the text message, which the senator claimed to have been inadvertently captured by a photographer, Aguirre ordered “Cong. Jing” to expedite the case to be

“Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre is desperately resorting to squid tactics rather than answering the accusations squarely lodged against him,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

She maintained that there was no intent to tap or intercept Aguirre’s message and the law was clear that what is prohibited is “willfully and knowingly committing any act constituting wiretapping.”

“But if the Justice secretary wants to file cases against me, go ahead. See you in court, Mr. Aguirre,” Hontiveros said.