Nadia Montenegro has resigned as Sen. Robin Padilla’s political officer, lamenting the “publicity trial, misjudgments, bashings and grave humiliation” she faced while strongly denying allegations of marijuana use inside the Senate premises.
In a statement on Monday, August 18, Padilla’s chief of staff Rudolph Jurado confirmed that the latter’s office received Montenegro’s written explanation together with her resignation letter.
The submitted statement dated August 15, contained the former political officer’s explanation wherein she strongly denied being the unnamed staff member identified in multiple news reports about an alleged Senate employee was caught smoking marijuana inside the Senate premises.
“I VEHEMENTLY deny that I am the staff of the senator mentioned in those articles. There was no incident wherein a personnel of the OSAA (Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms) went to our office and found me in the restroom and asked me about the alleged smell of marijuana,” the actress stated.
The reports said a certain staff member from OSAA and personnel of another senator smelled a strange odor similar to marijuana coming from the ladies’ restroom near the Senate’s extension offices, which Montenegro claimed did not match the findings in the incident report that circulated on social media.
She further acknowledged being confronted by a Senate staff member on August 12 after leaving a comfort room but clarified that she was only in possession of a flavored vape or e-cigarette.
“If only this Honorable Office will secure the CCTV footages of my encounter to him on that day, it can be vividly established that I even showed to him said vape and let him smell the ‘grape’-flavored scent of my e-cigarette,” she said.
Montenegro also expressed her disappointment over the “premature” and “pre-emptive” release of the incident report to the public media, which she said led to a “publicity trial, misjudgments, bashings and grave humiliation” that reached her children.
“This incident report was addressed to the Senate Sergeant at Arms ONLY and that there was no findings in the same incident report that I indeed smoked marijuana in the ladies’ comfort room of the Senate. I wonder how this was maliciously shared to the media/social media thereby crucifying me in the eyes of the public sans due process of law,” she addressed the supposed leak of the incident.
“I was unfairly subjected to publicity trial, misjudgments, bashings and grave humiliation. My children were unjustly became the subject of ridicule, calling them the children of a ‘drug addict.’ One comment even said maybe my children are drug addicts as well.
“These claims have caused great pain and distress to me and my family. It is deeply hurtful to see my name and reputation tarnished and destroyed by a story that is simply not true. Me and my children do not deserve this! No one deserves this!” stressed Nadia.
She urged the Senate to investigate how the incident reports were released to the media, stressing that the damage to her and her children’s reputation had already been done.
“Even if after investigation I will be adjudged as innocent, the damage has been done. It can never erase the stigma that me and my children have experienced. Hence, I hope that more than anything else, the Senate shall look into how incident reports like this unauthorizedly went to the hands of the media.”
Despite insisting on her innocence, Montenegro said she decided to resign from her post for the sake of her mental health and her children’s well-being.
“Even with a heavy heart but for the sake of my mental health and the welfare of my children, I decided to tender my resignation from my position in Senator Padilla’s office effective immediately,” she declared.
Montenegro stressed that her resignation should not be interpreted as an admission of guilt, but rather as a gesture of respect for the Senate and to prevent the issue from distracting from the chamber’s legislative work.
“My decision to resign should not be misconstrued as an admission of guilt—it is not. Rather, it is a demonstration of my deep respect for the Senate and Senator Padilla’s office, so that this issue does not cause further distraction or harm. To prevent this baseless issue from growing any further, I would rather remove myself from the spotlight and allow the Senate to focus on its important work,” she explained.
She also expressed her gratitude to the colleagues she met in the institution, especially to Sen. Padilla whom she described as having given her an “honor and trust” in serving the Filipino people.
“I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Senator Robin Padilla. I am and will always be grateful for the opportunity and trust he gave me to serve the Filipino people alongside him. Working for Senator Padilla has been an honor, and my respect for him remains unwavering.”
Montenegro closed her statement by expressing gratitude to those who stood by her, saying she remains humbled by the support she received. She asked for understanding and respect as she and her family move forward, emphasizing her hope for peace and healing.
“I want to move forward with dignity, knowing that I have told the truth and stood by my principles. […] From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all who have believed in me. I trust that truth and fairness will prevail. I will now be stepping back to heal from this experience, and I ask for your understanding as I do so. Above all, I remain committed to the values,” concluded Nadia.
