Dispatch from Crame No. 622: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on the DOJ’s latest move in beefing up its Prosecution Team against her
I detest in the utmost sense the latest move of DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra to deploy an army of special prosecutors led by no less than the Prosecutor General himself, PG Malcontento, for the sole purpose of prosecuting the farcical criminal cases filed against me. That the PG himself is so named in no uncertain […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 621: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on Chief Justice Bersamin’s recent remarks
The Hon. Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin regards the US Senators’ move to ban my oppressors as a “PR tour de force”. No, Sir. It’s nothing like that. It’s about standing up, in concrete terms, for human rights and accountability. It’s a matter of truth and justice. These principles, which are revered in democratic societies like […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 620: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on Ambassador Romualdez’s silly conspiracy theory about HR groups lobbying in US Congress
In his latest newspaper column, Duterte Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babes” Romualdez reported that so-called “intelligence” people are supposedly verifying reports about human rights groups or “certain groups using human rights advocates as fronts” in putting pressure on the US Congress. I hope they’re not implying that sinister forces are working on my […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 619: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s call for unity and vigilance on the impending ruling from the Presidential Electoral Tribunal
Let’s protect VP Leni and the sanctity of our votes. The injustices and impunity happening in our midst for the last 3 years must not be compounded by an injustice inflicted upon our sovereign will. Let’s pray for a just and judicious ruling from the Presidential Electoral Tribunal. ###
Dispatch from Crame No. 618 – Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Sunday Message to her supporters
Reject authoritarianism and demagoguery! Uphold democracy and decency! Endure. Persevere. Prevail we shall! In God, we commend our woes. In God, we trust. A blessed Sunday! ###
Dispatch from Crame No. 617: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement regarding the Duterte regime’s aborted plan of constructing a state-of-the-art facility that could address severe jail congestion
I’ve repeatedly said that severe congestion is the root cause of the many ills besetting the New Bilibid Prison, including prison-based criminality, corruption, disease and deaths. That is why the PNoy administration earnestly worked on a plan to transfer the NBP and the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) to the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 616: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on Senate’s contempt citations vs lying witnesses during the Senate investigation into BuCor anomalies
Good to know that the Senate, acting firmly, has cited for contempt the likes of BuCor officials Benilda Bansil and Veronica Buño for lying in the proceedings before the Justice and Human Rights Committee, jointly with other Committees. They should have similarly dealt with Rafael Ragos and Jovencio Ablen for their own lies, as a […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 615: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on DFA Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin’s remarks that she cannot be acquitted on request of U.S. Congress
DFA Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin asserts, quite correctly, that I cannot be acquitted on mere request of the U.S. Congress. We know that, of course. But these US Senators who proposed a visa ban against my oppressors are not in any way imposing their will on our local courts. Their courageous championing of my causes […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 614: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on PDEA Chief Aaron Aquino’s turn-around on his previous testimony re: PNP Chief Albayalde’s statement to him about the latter’s men involved in the ‘agaw bato’ scheme
Moral lesson from PDEA Chief Aaron Aquino’s flip-flopping on the factual issue of what exactly P/DG Oscar Albayalde told him when he asked about his (Albayalde’s) men involved in the 2013 drug buy bust: One cannot and should not be wavering, if he or she has or knows the truth. Truth cannot have two contrasting […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 613: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on the looming decision of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) in the Marcos vs. Robredo protest case
The PET case, especially in this age of automated elections, is mostly a matter of correct arithmetic. There is little room for changes in the original proclamation results via an appreciation of the ballots. It is either the ballot reflects the intent of the voter and was correctly counted, or for some reason the machine […]