Dispatch from Crame No. 987: Statement of Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the persecution of young Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam
I stand in solidarity with young activists in Hong Kong who are being persecuted for their courageous defense of democracy and justice, as I denounce in the strongest terms Wednesday’s sentencing of Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam to prison terms of 13 ½ months, 10 months and 7 months, respectively, for their participation […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 986: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Reaction on the Arrest of Amanda Echanis and her child
The situation of women human rights defenders under Duterte’s rule seems to have taken a turn for the worse as they increasingly become open targets of violations by State forces. With this government’s already dismal record of suppressing human rights, one cannot but fear for the safety of Amanda Echanis and her newborn. Having witnessed […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 985: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Duterte’s red-tagging of Makabayan bloc in his latest address to the nation
It’s supposed to be a President’s weekly report on the COVID-19 situation but what we’ve been hearing since Day 1 are desperate attempts at damage control. In his latest address to the nation, he went on a red-tagging rampage against the Makabayan bloc, clearly a diversionary tactic. Duterte’s blabbering is an everyday reminder of this […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 984: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the PITC Parked Funds Anomaly
The practice of the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) of accommodating the “parking” of unused public funds, as exposed by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, is a travesty of governance and is tantamount to defrauding the government. Malinaw po ang batas natin diyan. Kapag hindi nagastos ang pondo, dapat po isauli sa National Treasury para […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 983: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the Proposed GAA Amendment to waive safeguards in the Automated Election
Anyone who seeks to steal our elections is an enemy to our people and our democracy. They should be treated as such. I was told that last night, it circulated over the social media that someone from the Senate is attempting to insert a provision in the national budget to give COMELEC the authority to […]
De Lima: 2021 budget falls short on social protection measures
Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima laments the government’s seeming indifference to social protection and welfare programs amid the worst economic crisis of the country due to an ongoing pandemic and devastation left by recent typhoons. De Lima, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, in an Omnibus Comment on […]
An Open Letter From Sen. De Lima to Reina Nasino
During Tanggol Bayi’s webinar “Rights in Peril: Mother in Prison and their Children in the Philippines” in celebration of the International Day to End Violence Against Women last Nov. 25, artist Bituin Escalante reads Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s heartwarming open letter to jailed activist Reina Mae Nasino.
Dispatch from Crame No. 982: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the recent non-appearance of prosecution witnesses in her drug cases
Recently, prosecution witnesses in my cases seem to suddenly have cold feet. Yesterday was the second time in a week that a prosecution witness failed to show up. The first was last Tuesday when not even convicted prisoner Engelberto Durano’s shadow could be located within the grounds of the Muntinlupa Hall of Justice, despite assurances […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 981: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement re: Authority of Executive to Investigate Other Branches of Government
Harry Roque said that Leila de Lima is “one of a kind” to get the special attention of Duterte’s alleged prosecutorial prowess. What he failed to mention was that the only prosecutorial skill that Duterte himself admitted to possess in abundance was the ability to plant evidence and intrigues. I am “one of a kind” […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 980: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Senators Urging the DSWD to Fast-Track the Release of Available Funds for Marginalized Sectors affected by the Typhoons and Pandemic
During last Monday’s session, many of my colleagues at the Senate expressed a sentiment similar to what I have consistently been calling out early on at the onset of this pandemic: the Duterte administration’s underspending nightmare. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am once again urging the national government to fund […]