Actress Nadia Montenegro on Monday tendered her resignation as political affairs officer of Senator Robinhood Padilla, citing concerns for her mental health and the well-being of her children, following allegations linking her to an incident involving the smell of marijuana inside the Senate premises.
Padilla’s chief of staff, Atty. Rudolf Philip Jurado confirmed that the senator’s office received Montenegro’s five-page written explanation with her resignation letter, which was “accepted.”
“Today, we received the written explanation and letter of resignation of Ms. Nadia Montenegro. Her resignation has been accepted,” Jurado told reporters in a Viber message.
In her explanation letter, dated 15 August, Montenegro denied being the staff member involved in the alleged marijuana-related incident. She also strongly condemned what she described as a “malicious” and unfounded public smear campaign.
“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 wrote.
Montenegro stressed she remained “dignified and compassionate” amid the incident, reaffirming her “unwavering respect for the Senate as an institution and for the rule of law.”
She then emphasized that her resignation should not be seen as an admission of guilt, but as a way to prevent the issue from distracting the Senate from its 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,” she further stressed.
The controversy stemmed from an incident report filed on August 13 by a Senate security officer, which cited complaints of a “suspicious odor” resembling marijuana emanating from a ladies’ comfort room near the senators’ extension offices.
The report did not name Montenegro directly, but her name surfaced in subsequent media coverage.
Montenegro firmly denied any wrongdoing, noting that she had used a separate restroom designated for persons with disabilities (PWDs) on August 12, and not the ladies’ comfort room mentioned in the report.
“There was NO incident wherein a personnel of the OSAA [Office of the Sergeant at Arms] went to our office and found me in the restroom and asked me about the alleged smell of marijuana,” she clarified.
“Thus, if said alleged unusual scent which resembled to marijuana, came from the ladies' comfort room then it should NOT be attributed to me,” she added.
She further questioned how the internal report, which was addressed solely to the OSAA, was leaked to the media and social media platforms. Montenegro expressed distress over what she described as a “publicity trial” that caused “grave humiliation” for her and her family.
“My children were unjustly made the subject of ridicule, calling them the children of a ‘drug addict.’ One comment even said maybe my children are drug addicts as well,” Montenegro shared.
Despite the lack of formal charges or conclusive findings, Montenegro lamented that her reputation and that of her family had already suffered irreparable damage.
“Even if I am later found innocent, the stigma that me and my children have experienced will never be erased,” she said.
Montenegro had been on leave since 13 August, coinciding with the Senate’s internal investigation into the marijuana odor reports within its Pasay City compound.
As of this writing, the Senate hasn't released any more findings or identified any individuals in connection with the reported incident.
Meanwhile, Jurado said Padilla’s office has already transmitted the records of Montenegro’s case, along with other documents, to the Senate’s Human Resources Management Service (HRMS)
“I do not know what action will they take. We do not also know if OSAA will continue the investigation,” he said. “But if there will be further investigation of this case, our office will cooperate.”