De Lima joins, Bautista drops out of LP Senate slate

MANILA, Philippines - Outgoing Justice Secretary Leila de Lima formally joined the ruling Liberal Party (LP) on Friday and is expected to be included in the senatorial slate of the administration coalition.

De Lima, who announced her plan to run for senator late last month, took her oath as LP member before Senate President Franklin Drilon at the party’s main headquarters in Quezon City. LP presidential bet Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and vice presidential candidate Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo witnessed the oath taking.

“I am fully determined to face this new challenge of my life. I won’t join any party but the LP,” de Lima said, drawing cheers from her supporters.

De Lima quit her cabinet post last Wednesday. Her resignation will take effect on Monday, the same day the LP-led administration coalition is scheduled to announce the members of its senatorial line-up.

Roxas said de Lima has contributed a lot to the Justice Department during her stint as its secretary.

“She stood firm for the principles of the straight path by filing cases against the corrupt and by performing her functions as Secretary of Justice,” he said.

Roxas said de Lima’s actions as justice chief cannot be labeled as partisan because she just joined the LP.

Critics of the administration, however, believe de Lima is far from being non-partisan.

The opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) has accused de Lima of “double standard brand of justice” for allegedly not prioritizing the filing of cases against administration allies tagged in the pork barrel and Malampaya fund scams.

In a previous statement, UNA claimed de Lima had excluded members of the Aquino administration implicated in the anomalies because of her political ambition.

Issues surrounding de Lima, however, are not limited to those being raised by opponents of the administration.

Former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) chief Joel Villanueva earlier admitted that he would not be comfortable running with de Lima, who sued him over the pork barrel scandal.

Villanueva, the president of the Citizens' Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) party list, is said to be one of the senatorial candidates of the administration coalition. Supporters of de Lima claim her filing of charges against Villanueva debunked claims that she implemented selective justice.

Villanueva, however, implied last Thursday that he is willing to campaign alongside de Lima.

“You know there’s no such thing as a perfect set up. We know our calling. We know what we wanted to bring to our people and nation and that was what we did in TESDA,” Villanueva said.

De Lima also had her own share of blunders.

In 2011, she apologized to former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo for implying that he had received special treatment when he left for Hong Kong.

Prior to her apology, De Lima claimed that Arroyo’s departure record could not be found and ordered the Immigration Bureau to investigate why he was able to leave the country without proper procedures.

De Lima also locked horns with the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) fraternity in 2010 after she linked the group to two grenade attacks in two schools in Metro Manila. APO called de Lima a “fortune teller,” a label that de Lima said lacked civility and professionalism.

Another controversy involving de Lima stemmed from the illegal detention case filed by an expelled miser against members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), a religious group known to practice bloc voting.

The INC accused de Lima of giving “extraordinary attention” to the case and even staged a five-day protest to express their displeasure over her actions. De Lima, however, maintained that she was just doing her job, drawing praises from observers who viewed her as someone unafraid to clash with a group with political clout.

Aside from de Lima, 76 other politicians took oath as new members of the LP, a development that party stalwarts said would strengthen the ruling party’s influence.

The new LP members hail from Bulacan, La Union, Bataan, Negros Occidental, Siquijor, Zamboanga del Norte and North Cotabato and were formerly aligned with Lakas, National Unity Party and Nationalist People’s Coalition.

Herbert not joining senatorial race

Meanwhile, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista has rejected the LP’s offer for him to be included in its senatorial ticket and will seek reelection instead.

Bautista said he wants to continue the programs he started as mayor.

“My family and I agreed that I still have much to do in Quezon City. Several projects are still pending like the waste-to-energy project, the Philippine Diamond Tower and the Quezon City socialized housing project,” Bautista told the ABS-CBN News Channel in an interview.

"It is the people who want me to finish my term. I will not abandon them," he added.

Bautista said he decided to seek a third and last term as mayor after consulting with his family, friends, classmates, fellow officials and a spiritual adviser. He admitted that her former girlfriend, presidential sister Kris Aquino, also convinced him to seek reelection.

The LP postponed the announcement of its senatorial ticket for Monday to give Bautista more time to decide.

Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar, an ally of the administration, also announced last Thursday that he is not running for Senate, saying it is not yet the right time for him to do so. He is also seeking reelection instead.

Pacquiao to join LP slate?

While it is certain that Bautista and Villar are not part of the administration slate, it may be a different story for boxer Manny Pacquiao, who announced plans to run for Senate early this week.

“It is possible,” Roxas said when asked if Pacquiao may be included in the administration’s senatorial ticket.

Roxas said he spoke with Pacquiao two nights ago but did not elaborate.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, a rival of Roxas in the presidential race, earlier claimed that Pacquiao has given an assurance that he would not abandon the opposition party.