‘Sad and pained’ De Lima to appeal court’s decision on arrest

FILE: De Lima, who is facing three criminal charges for allegedly receiving kickbacks from New Bilibid Prison drug lords during her term as the justice secretary, is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center inside Camp Crame in Quezon City. (PRIB Photo by Joseph Vidal/Senate of the Philippines on Facebook)

Detained Senator Leila De Lima on Wednesday said she is “saddened and pained” by the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) junking her petition to recall the arrest warrant issued against her, saying the ruling “legitimizes oppression and political persecution”.

“I am deeply saddened and pained by the Supreme Court decision dismissing my petition. I had hoped that the justices who decided against my petition can feel the pain of someone who is sent to prison and yet is innocent of any crime, and has merely fallen victim to the strong arm of the State and the President’s deeply-rooted vengeance against her,” De Lima said.

“The SC’s majority decision tells us the extent to which Dutertism has distorted reason, suppressed the truth and rejected the primacy of conscience,” De Lima added.

Voting 9-6, the high court on Tuesday ruled to scrap the senator’s gesture to recall her arrest warrant issued by the Muntinlupa Regional Court.

[Read: SC dismisses De Lima’s plea to recall arrest warrant]

De Lima, who is facing three criminal charges for allegedly receiving kickbacks from New Bilibid Prison drug lords during her term as the justice secretary, is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center inside Camp Crame in Quezon City.

The embattled senator said she will appeal the court ruling and her lawyers will file a motion for reconsideration.

“My lawyers will of course file a motion for reconsideration, and will continue to appeal to the sense of fairness and justice of the Court… There is no other recourse but to go on fighting, especially when one is innocent as I truly am. Every day spent behind bars on bogus charges brings pain and untold sufferings. But it also strengthens resolve,” De Lima said.

“Every single moment in prison serves as a reminder to me of the injustice being committed on thousands of others out there who are not only deprived of their liberty, but of their very right to exist. To go on fighting is the least I can do for them and their loved ones,” she added.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international human rights advocate group, slammed the decision of the court, saying “De Lima’s arrest followed a relentless government campaign of harassment and intimidation against her.”

“The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday dashed hopes it would overturn the politically motivated prosecution of the highest-profile critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s murderous “war on drugs,” HRW Asia Division Researcher Carlos Conde said in a dispatch.

“Duterte and his government have systematically sought to vilify, harass, and intimidate those who have pursued accountability for drug war crimes domestically and internationally,” Conde added.

Conde then urged concerned governments to end the deadly drug war, to “publicly express their outrage at de Lima’s prosecution, and support a UN-led international investigation.”

“De Lima’s prosecution is a warning to all critics of Duterte’s “drug war” that demanding accountability for victims may spark vicious official reprisals,” he added.

At the end of the statement, De Lima expressed gratitude to the six justices who opposed the court decision.

“I take heart though in the thought that six (6) dissenters – all venerable magistrates – stood their ground. I honor them with a profound thanks and admiration for their courage and fealty to their sworn duty,” De Lima said.

Those who voted to grant the senator’s plea were Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, and Associate Justices Estela Perlas- Bernabe, Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, and Francis Jardeleza.

The senator also asked for continued prayers and support.

“I ask only for more fortitude for myself and for my family,” De Lima said.

“I humbly ask for continued prayers and support,” she added.