‘Leila should be allowed to attend to legislative duties’

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate minority bloc yesterday urged the leadership of the chamber to immediately appeal to the courts to allow Sen. Leila de Lima to attend to her legislative duties, including participation in the deliberations of crucial legislation.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Francis Pangilinan, and Antonio Trillanes IV filed Senate Resolution 505 saying De Lima is not a “flight risk” because she has voluntarily surrendered herself to proper authorities when warrant for her arrest was served more than six months ago.

“In the exercise of the Senate’s constitutional mandate to serve the people, it is in the best interest of the institution to allow Senator De Lima to continue her legislative duties pending the trial of her cases,” the resolution read.

De Lima is currently detained in the Philippine National Police Custodial Center at Camp Crame in Quezon City on charges that she abetted the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City when she was justice secretary.

The detained senator has strongly denied the charges, saying President Duterte was simply getting back at her for speaking out against extrajudicial killings committed under the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign.

Although De Lima could not actively participate in plenary deliberations on important measures, she has continued to file bills and resolutions despite being detained. To date, she has filed 55 bills and 55 resolutions in the Senate.

Considering herself as a political prisoner, De Lima has invoked her rights as provided and protected under Philippine laws and jurisprudence as well as the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights.

The minority bloc also explained the Senate could very well take De Lima in custody and guarantee that she would be present whenever her presence may be required by the court or any other proper authorities at any given time.

“By allowing Senator De Lima to continue performing her duties as a senator of the Republic of the Philippines, we are heeding to the call of the overwhelming mandate of the electorate who wants Senator De Lima to represent them,” they said.

They noted that in the past, there have been cases such as those of then senators Justiniano Montano and Juan Ponce Enrile who were allowed to post bail and perform their senatorial duties despite criminal cases against them.

In the 1950s, then senator Montano was charged with multiple murder, a non-bailable offense, but was allowed to post bail and perform his senatorial duties.

Enrile was also allowed to post bail in the plunder cases filed against him and served the remaining years of his term, which expired in June 2016.

“The experience of a detained legislator being allowed to continue performing his/her duties is not new in Philippine politics,” they said.