Nadia Montenegro resigns as Padilla's PAO over marijuana allegations

Actress Nadia Montenegro has resigned from her position as a political affairs officer of Senator Robin Padilla following reports linking her to alleged marijuana use inside Senate premises.

Padilla's chief of staff, Atty. Rudolf Philip Jurado, confirmed on Monday that he had accepted her resignation after receiving her written explanation and letter of resignation dated Aug. 15.

In her letter, Montenegro vehemently denied smoking or using marijuana inside the comfort room and described the allegations as 'unfounded' and 'maliciously shared to the media'.

Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero ordered an investigation into the incident last week, which was also probed by Padilla's office.

Montenegro lamented that the controversy subjected her and her family to ridicule and prompted her decision to resign for the sake of her mental health and the welfare of her children.

She maintained in her written explanation that she had been using a grape-flavored e-cigarette, not marijuana, and invited investigators to review CCTV footage from the alleged incidents.