De Lima to question arrest before SC

MANILA, Philippines -  Citing lack of evidence and jurisdiction, Sen. Leila de Lima is expected to question before the Supreme Court today her arrest ordered by the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC).

Prior to her arrest last week, the senator filed motions to quash before the three court branches where her three separate drug cases were raffled
off, citing their lack of jurisdiction.

The motions were supposed be heard last Friday with the prosecution asking that the hearings be moved until next month but Judge Juanita Guerrero of RTC Branch 204 on Thursday ordered De Lima’s arrest.

“Let it be said that she (Guerrero) stated that her (order) was purely on the criminal information filed by the (Department of Justice). Her motion to quash was not considered at all,” lawyer Alex Padilla, who leads the senator’s legal team, said in an interview last week.

Padilla also said De Lima would try to insist again that the Office of the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan – not the Muntinlupa RTC – have jurisdiction over her cases.

“We were asking that these charges be dismissed because there’s no evidence, no drugs, there was no order to protect drug lords. So the complaint was fatal and defective,” he said.

Padilla also said De Lima would not ask that she be placed under house or hospital arrest.

“She’s not the type to ask for special favors or privileges. She’ll stand up and answer these allegations and charges,” he said.

De Lima last week lamented that the Court of Appeals denied her petitions to stop the DOJ from filing the charges before the regular courts.

“We have a very prejudicial issue of jurisdiction,” she said.

If the SC grants her petition soon enough, the senator will be able to meet UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard in Switzerland next month.

De Lima, a vocal critic of President Duterte’s war on drugs, was invited to attend the 15th International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland on March 18.

The event is dedicated to cinema and human rights on the sidelines of the Annual Session of the UN Human Rights Council.

“Your tireless advocacy of the respect of fundamental rights in your country has earned you the unanimous respect and admiration of the human rights community around the world,” Isabelle Gattiker, director of the festival, said.

“We could not think of a most qualified and distinguished person to participate in this event in Geneva, the human rights capital,” she added in a letter of invitation sent to the senator last Nov. 8.

De Lima, Callamard and Rosemari Trajano of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates will participate in a panel about human rights violations in the Philippines entitled “Philippines: A License to Kill” which is co-presented by the World Organization Against Torture and the Delegation Geneve Ville Solidaire.

The international film festival and forum on human rights is organized in collaboration with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

It is also being convened by international organizations, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Doctors without Borders, The Cinematheque Suisse, the University of Geneva and other international media organizations.

It may be recalled that De Lima filed Senate Resolution No. 153 urging the Department of Foreign Affairs to invite Callamard to look into the spate of extrajudicial killings and summary executions amid the campaign against illegal drugs.

Own food

De Lima spent most of the day yesterday with her family and friends in her detention cell in Camp Crame.

Fr. Robert Reyes also celebrated mass in her cell.

Ferdie Maglalang, head of the senator’s media staff, said she is only taking food and water brought by her family and friends for safety reasons.

He said officials of the Philippine National Police custodial center immediately granted her request to allow food and water to be brought to her cell by those she trusts after inspection.

Prior to her arrest, De Lima and her allies have repeatedly expressed fears for her safety as her persecution was led by no less than President Duterte, whom they described as having no compunction in taking the lives of perceived opponents.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party to which De Lima also belongs, said the senator has jailed many high-profile politicians on corruption charges so they naturally want to exact vengeance.