News Roundup 13 November 2023
Nov 13, 2023 • 5 min Read
As De Lima walks free, rights defenders declare time’s up for accusers, jailers | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — As former Senator Leila De Lima works to rebuild her life following a Muntinlupa court’s granting of her bail, human rights groups and minority lawmakers have sounded a rallying cry to hold her jailers accountable for subjecting her to what they have described as an unjust and prolonged detention.
Rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said that De Lima should never have been detained in the first place given that the evidence against her had been “fabricated” and “concocted” in retaliation for her criticisms of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.
“This last remaining drug case against her must be dismissed expeditiously, and those behind her arbitrary detention and other violations of her human rights must be brought to justice,” Amnesty International said in a statement.
Human Rights Watch stressed that the charges against De Lima — now down to one following witness recantations — were “politically motivated” and concocted by Duterte’s allies who were bent on “(punishing) her for performing her duties as a senator and speaking out against the ‘war on drugs.’”
Both Makakabayan bloc lawmakers Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers) and Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) said that while the granting of De Lima’s bail is a positive step toward her freedom, the individuals responsible for her detention must be similarly brought to justice.
Full Story at: As De Lima walks free, rights defenders declare time’s up for accusers, jailers | Philstar.com
De Lima on Duterte: May God forgive him | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — After all the tirades and attacks of former President Rodrigo Duterte against former senator Leila De Lima, she wished him “God bless” upon her release.
De Lima was released on Monday evening, hours after the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 granted the motions for reconsideration on the denial of the petition for bail last June 7.
“May God forgive him, and God bless him,” De Lima said in a press conference in Quezon City.
“He knows what he did to me,” she added.
De Lima has been a vocal critic of Duterte’s war on drugs which saw thousands of deaths according to the Human Rights Watch.
During her term as a justice secretary, De Lima also launched probes into the alleged “Davao Death Squad” that supposedly carried out extrajudicial killings in Davao City when the former president was still the city’s mayor.
In 2016, then president Duterte accused De Lima of being involved in the illegal drug trade inside the New Billibid Prison under her watch as justice secretary. The accusations led to the launch of hearings in Congress, with witnesses claiming De Lima is involved in drug trafficking.
Full Story at: De Lima on Duterte: May God forgive him | Philstar.com
Some House members on de Lima’s bail grant: ‘Justice redeemed’ | INQUIRE.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Some lawmakers see the grant of temporary freedom on former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima as an indictment of the false accusations against her.
This is the statement of Albay First District Representative Edcel Lagman on Monday.
“Although justice delayed is justice denied, justice finally secured is still justice redeemed,” Lagman said.
“This is the essence of Senator Leila de Lima’s belated grant of bail, which is a prelude to her exoneration in all of the three feigned drug charges against her,” he predicted.
“The decision to grant bail by Judge Gener Gito of the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 206 is a step toward justice and freedom for Leila and a harsh indictment of those who falsely accused her of wrongdoing and caused her years of unimaginable suffering in solitary confinement and the indescribable anguish of the malevolently accused,” the lawmaker said.
De Lima was jailed in February 2017 when she was still a senator of the 18th Congress.
The drug-related complaints stemmed back to the time she was still Justice Secretary.
So far, she has been acquitted in two of the three cases.
Meanwhile, ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro expressed hope people behind de Lima’s unjust detention will be jailed in the future.
Full Story at: Some House members on de Lima’s bail grant: ‘Justice redeemed’ | Inquirer News
Pimentel to SC: Look into ‘phenomenon’ of inhibiting judges | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Monday asked the Supreme Court to look into the “phenomenon” of judges inhibiting from specific cases, stressing that the move is unfair, especially to those deprived of liberty.
Pimentel raised the issue during the Senate’s plenary debates on the proposed 2024 budget for the judiciary.
Pimentel also brought up the pending case of detained former senator Leila de Lima, who has been jailed over her alleged involvement in the illegal drugs trade.
“The case of [former] Senator Leila de Lima. It has been pending for six years [and nine months] in the regional trial court. Is this normal?” asked Pimentel.
Senator Sonny Angara, sponsor of the judiciary’s 2024 budget, pointed out that two of de Lima’s three cases have already been disposed of, while one is still on trial.
Angara’s remark prompted Pimentel to urge the Supreme Court to closely look into the practice of some judges of inhibiting from selected cases.
“Siguro tingnan na rin ng Supreme Court yung phenomenon of judges inhibiting from cases. Dapat strikto ‘yun eh. Judge ka nga eh, pumasok ka nga sa ganyang job description, dapat kaya mo ‘yung mga maiinit na kaso kahit na politically loaded,” said Pimentel.
(Maybe the Supreme Court can also look at the phenomenon of judges inhibiting from cases. That should be strict. You are a judge. You must be able to deal with controversial cases even if they are politically loaded.)
Full Story at: Pimentel to SC: Look into ‘phenomenon’ of inhibiting judges | Inquirer News
