Australian Parliament seeks Leila De Lima’s release

MANILA, Philippines — The Australian Parliament has passed a motion calling on its government to use all diplomatic means to press the administration of President Duterte to release detained Sen. Leila de Lima from what its members described as unjust detention and allow her to fulfill her electoral mandate as a lawmaker.

According to a statement issued by De Lima’s office, the parliament adopted the motion of Member of Parliament Christopher Hayes of the Labor Party, expressing deep concern over the senator’s worsening plight in a speech last Feb. 18.

“I reiterate my call for fairness and decency to be afforded to the people of the Philippines and urge the government of the Philippines to release Senator de Lima from her incarceration and allow her to properly continue her work as a senator,” Hayes said.

The lawmaker sent an official copy of his motion to De Lima in an official email correspondence dated Feb. 21.

De Lima is detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City on what she said are fabricated drug charges. She will mark her second year in detention on Sunday.

Hayes described her as “a notable critic of President Duterte’s policy of extrajudicial killing” who unfailingly stood up against the butchery of the government.

“The case of Senator de Lima is a clear example of what happens when a government seeks to circumvent the rule of law. In emphasizing that, the evidence against Senator De Lima consists of untested statements by convicted drug lords, police officers and prison officials. Therefore, I believe it’s important that we put Senator De Lima’s situation into context,” he said.

Since her unjust detention for almost two years now, Hayes continued, De Lima has been restricted from doing the “very fundamental and critical right of a legislator” to attend hearings and cast her vote on significant legislative measures.  

Aside from allowing her to properly perform her duties as a senator, the Australian parliamentarian also urged the Philippine government to ensure that De Lima’s right to a fair trial is not violated at all costs.

“Any subsequent trials that she has to face (should be) conducted in a fair and transparent manner, consistent with the rule of law and subject to appropriate international oversight,” Hayes said.

Meanwhile, De Lima asked the Muntinlupa City regional trial court to include former Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) chief Rafael Ragos in a drug-related case filed against her.

In her motion filed last Feb. 11, De Lima asked the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 205 to reinstate Ragos as an accused in the case of conspiracy to commit drug trading filed against her and her personal aide Ronnie Dayan.

She also requested that a warrant of arrest be issued again against Ragos.

She maintained that the court’s exclusion of Ragos in the case is “in flagrant disregard of the decision of the Supreme Court,” which ruled that Ragos was found with probable cause to be charged with the same case.

De Lima previously asked the Supreme Court to prevent the Muntinlupa court, then presided over by Judge Juanita Guerrero, from issuing arrest warrants against her, Dayan and Ragos, which the high court junked.

She also assailed the same court, presided over by Judge Amelia Fabros-Corpuz who replaced Guerrero, as it approved the charge sheet the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed, removing Ragos from the list of accused.  “The Court committed a complete abdication of its judicial duty to exercise discretion and independence as it merely relied on the recommendation of the prosecution,” she said in her motion.

The court also did not order any reinvestigation that led to the exclusion of Ragos in the charge, she added. – With Ghio Ong