‘Misguided’ US senators rely on ‘bogus’ narratives: Palace

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the “misguided” US senators apparently relied on “bogus” narratives of President Rodrigo Duterte’s enemies. (File Photo: Office of the Presidential Spokesperson/Facebook)

MANILA — Malacañang on Friday slammed American senators for asking US President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Philippine government officials allegedly behind the detention of Senator Leila de Lima.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the “misguided” US senators apparently relied on “bogus” narratives of President Rodrigo Duterte’s enemies.

Panelo made the statement after the US Senate passed a resolution condemning de Lima’s continued detention and urging Trump to impose sanctions on Filipino officials linked to her arrest.

“The Palace expresses its disappointment over US Senate Resolution 142 calling upon the US President to impose sanctions on Philippine government officials purportedly behind the arrest and detention of Senator de Lima, as well as the supposed extrajudicial killings in the country,” Panelo said.

“While the Philippine government continues to respect the US Senate as an institution, the Palace finds the posture and conviction of its prejudiced members misguided, as the same are anchored on an erroneous premise culled from bogus narratives of President Duterte’s usual antagonists,” he added.

Senate Resolution 142, titled “A resolution condemning the Government of the Philippines for its continued detention of Senator Leila de Lima, calling for her immediate release, and for other purposes”, was marked “Agreed to in Senate”, according to the website of the US Senate.

De Lima has been detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center at Camp Crame in Quezon City since February 2017 due to her supposed involvement in the rampant narcotics sale inside the national penitentiary during her stint as justice secretary.

The resolution, which was introduced by US Senator Edward Markey in April 2019, calls for Trump to invoke the Global Magnitsky Act by imposing sanctions on Philippine officials responsible for “orchestrating the arrest and prolonged detention” of de Lima.

The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act authorizes the US to sanction foreign government officials deemed as violators of human rights.

Panelo called the US Senate’s latest act as a form of “bullying”.

“We will not be bullied by any foreign country or by its officials, especially by misinformed and gullible politicians who grandstand at our expense,” he said.

“Unfair” for US to sanction de Lima jailers

In a media interview, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles deemed it “unfair” for the US to impose sanctions on Philippine officials who have a hand in de Lima’s detention.

“Well, of course, it would be unfair. Then we might as well do something like that also. The Senate might as well file a resolution condemning whatever they are doing,” Nograles told Palace reporters.

He said the US has no right to punish those who played a key role in de Lima’s arrest because the Philippines has a working justice system.

“We stand by our previous statements that itong kaso na ito (her case) is passing through due process and it has gone through the regular process in terms of filing a case for criminal prosecution and filing a case in our criminal courts,” Nograles said. “‘Yung mga statements na ganyan at mga resolutions na ganyan, we deem it to be pangingialam (Such statements and resolutions, we deem it to be interference).”

He said the US senators’ interference was an apparent violation of the Philippines’ sovereign rights.

“Parang dinidiktahan tayo sa kung paano patakbuhin ang justice system natin. Independent tayo. Sovereign state tayo (They seem to be dictating us on how we should run our justice system. We’re independent. We are a sovereign state). So don’t meddle into our sovereignty,” Nograles said.

Panelo said the US senators’ latest move was “brazen and intrusive” to the dignity of an “independent, democratic and sovereign” state like the Philippines.

“If and when these calls materialize, the Palace considers the same as a direct and shameless affront against the Republic of the Philippines, which has long ceased to be a colony of the United States of America,” he said. “The Palace, however, trusts that agents of the Executive Branch of the US Government are more discerning and circumspect in the areas of diplomacy and sovereign respect and will act in accordance with credible information and supporting evidence.”

Not counting on Trump

Panelo maintained that de Lima’s case has nothing to do with her political views on the Duterte administration or her affiliation with the political opposition.

The US Senate’s approval of the resolution came despite the warm ties between Duterte and Trump.

Nograles, however, said Duterte was not expecting Trump to make a decision that is favorable to the Philippines.

He said it was “speculative” to claim that Duterte’s friendship with Trump would bring an advantageous outcome to de Lima’s jailers.

“It’s not a factor here. As far as we are concerned, it’s going through what is prescribed by our Philippine Constitution. That is our Constitution. That is the Philippine Constitution,” Nograles said.

A separate amendment to the US 2020 budget allows US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to bar Philippine government officials involved in de Lima’s “wrongful detention” from entering the US.

Last December, Duterte threatened to impose a visa application on all American citizens, in case the US bans Filipino officials linked to de Lima’s arrest.

The President has also barred US Senators Richard Durbin, Patrick Leahy, and Markey for supporting the call for de Lima’s immediate release.