Marcos Jr. maintains he won’t meddle in De Lima’s case

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos maintained yesterday that he would not meddle in the case of former senator Leila de Lima, amid renewed calls for her release after she was held hostage by a fellow inmate at the Philippine National Police (PNP) custodial center in Camp Crame last week.

Marcos said he has trust in the country’s judicial system and he does not see the need to use his legal powers as chief executive in De Lima’s case.

“I have said we are very, very clear that we have three departments of government. And maybe – we shouldn’t – let’s not meddle (with the courts). We don’t doubt the process,” Marcos said partly in Filipino during an interview after attending the 8th Balik Scientist Program conference in Pasay City.

Rep. Edcel Lagman earlier urged Marcos to use his legal powers as chief executive to end De Lima’s detention, which the Albay congressman said could be done without interfering with the courts hearing her cases.

The President had two legal options – to order prosecutors to dismiss the charges filed during the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte or to stop opposing her petition for bail, according to the opposition lawmaker.

Marcos turned down Lagman’s proposal, saying, “urging prosecutors to do one thing or another is interfering.”

“I think the process is there. We are continuing to monitor what is going on,” the President said.

Marcos also shared his recent conversation with De Lima following the hostage taking incident at Camp Crame, where the former senator has been detained since 2017 on drug charges.

“When the incident in the detention center happened in Camp Crame, I spoke to senator De Lima on Sunday,” Marcos said.

The President said he instructed Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos to visit De Lima and relay to her the possible transfer to a safer detention facility.?“I spoke to her Sunday morning. I asked Secretary Benhur Abalos to go and to find out that everything was OK, that she was OK. And I said, pasukin mo at kausapin ko (go there, and I’ll talk to her),” the Chief Executive said.

“And the reason I asked, I wanted to ask her if she feels safe. Because if she doesn’t feel safe, sabi ko sa kanya, ‘ililipat ka namin’ (I told her, we will transfer you), and she said, hindi naman siguro kailangan (It might not be necessary),” Marcos said.

The camp of De Lima has accepted the President’s offer to transfer her to another detention quarter, Abalos said on Thursday.

The President said De Lima never asked him to interfere with the courts.

“So, she never asked me to do anything in term – Yun lang, ‘yung tweet niya (just the one in her tweet), what she tweeted,” Marcos said.

In a post on Twitter on Thursday, De Lima urged Marcos to order the Department of Justice to stop blocking the testimony of former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos, a recanting witness in her ongoing drug-related trial.

“Mr. President @bongbongmarcos, I will not and will never ask you to interfere with the courts. This is my earnest and most respectful plea to you, your Excellency: Order DOJ to stop blocking the testimony of the recanting prosecution witness Rafael Ragos and to stop presenting obviously perjured witnesses like Herbert Colangco,” she tweeted.

“You can reverse the grievous wrongs inflicted on me by your predecessor. Please, Mr. President,” said De Lima, referring to Duterte.

Ragos had said he was “coerced” by former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to execute affidavits implicating De Lima in the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison.

Ragos appeared at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court on Sept. 30 supposedly to affirm his April 30 affidavit recanting his statements linking De Lima to the illegal drug trade.

However, Ragos’ lawyer said his client failed to testify due to a pending motion of the prosecution.

De Lima back

In a series of tweets yesterday, De Lima said she is now back at the custodial center after five days of confinement at the PNP General Hospital.

“While I’m still experiencing chest pains (in lesser scale compared to the first four days), I’m fine, medically, psychologically and emotionally,” the detained former senator said.

“The various tests – Chest XRay, ECG, 2D Echo, Stress test, blood tests – yielded normal results… no signs of heart attack or distress. God is so good!” she added.

De Lima was taken hostage by one detainee, identified as Feliciano Sulayao Jr., after a foiled escape attempt.

Sulayao and fellow detainees Arnel Cabintoy and Idang Susukan tried to escape from the PNP facility on Sunday.

After Cabintoy and Susukan were shot dead, Sulayao ran around the facility and eventually found the open door of De Lima’s cell.

According to a sworn statement of De Lima, she was blindfolded and tied by Sulayao, who then voiced his demands. ?Sulayao was later killed by Headquarters Support Service Director Col. Mark Pespes during negotiations. –  Ralph Edwin Villanueva