JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Monday filed criminal complaints against Senator Risa Hontiveros over the release of the photos of his alleged text messages to a supposed member of an anti-crime group.
Hontiveros has been slapped with three counts of violation of Republic Act 4200, or the Anti-Wiretapping Act, before the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office for allegedly violating Aguirre's rights to privacy by prying into his text messages and making it public.
The complaint against the senator stemmed from her disclosure of Aguirre's text message to former Negros Oriental Representative Jacinto Paras, a member of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, during the Senate hearing last month into the death of Kian Loyd Delos Santos.
Hontiveros alleged that in the text message, which was taken by a photographer she had refused to identify, Aguirre is ordering Paras to expedite the cases to be filed against her.
Aguirre said that he had filed the complaint at the National Prosecution Service (NPS) and not at the Office of the Ombudsman, as he believes the NPS, an attached agency under the DOJ has jurisdiction over the complaints.
"After further study, I came to the conclusion that it is the civil courts and the National Prosecution Service that has jurisdiction over the cases because the offenses were committed when Sen. Risa was not in the performance of her official duties," Aguirre said.
He further said that the senator has nothing to fear as the NPS will treat the cases fairly.
"It is the law that determines jurisdiction. What I could say is that the DOJ will treat these cases fairly and with justice, so Senator Risa has nothing to fear," said the justice chief.
Aside from the complaints before the National Prosecution Service (NPS), Aguirre has also filed an ethics complaint against Hontiveros before the Senate. (SunStar Philippines)