Dispatch from Crame No. 823: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on Sen. Dela Rosa’s Warning to Critics of the Anti-Terror Bill
Sen. Bato Dela Rosa said that those who are against the anti-terror bill becoming law have only themselves to blame if it does not become law and they become victims of terrorism. Rather than chastise a woke citizenry defending their democracy, Dela Rosa’s statement is actually an indictment of the State’s security forces, one half […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 822: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Quick Reaction to the Guilty Verdict vs. Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos, Jr.
The decision to convict CEO Maria Ressa and former Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos, Jr. for cyber libel (while certainly appealable) is but another demonstration of the Duterte government’s weaponization of law against those who dare speak truth to power. Jailing me for over three years now is only one of the thousand sinister ways they […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 821: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Anti-Terror Act and oppression
Magtiwala raw tayo kay Duterte sa paggamit niya sa Anti-Terror Act dahil hindi raw niya gawain ang manggipit gamit ang batas. Ano ang tawag nila sa ginawa sa akin? Joke lang?
Dispatch from Crame No. 820: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the relaxing of the strict, no visitors policy at the PNP Custodial Center
Finally, the strict no access, no visitors policy here at the PNP Custodial Center has been relaxed, by allowing scheduled visits, on specific days a week, from family members and selected staff, lawyers, personal doctors and spiritual advisers, all in limited nos. and limited time slots. No other visitors are allowed at this point. While […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 818: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the government’s implementation of the Jeepney Modernization Program and Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act
Wala na ba talagang pakialam ang gobyernong ito sa mahihirap? Just look at their insistence on the implementation of the Jeepney Modernization Program—the phasing out of old units—and the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act or the “Doble Plaka” Law requiring bigger plate numbers on motorcycles. These are clearly anti-poor measures, which will clearly bring more suffering […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 817: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on Her Continued Incommunicado Detention
It is now Day 6 of GCQ in NCR. Still, there is no change in the no visitors policy here at the PNP Custodial Center. For one (1) month and 11 days already, I remain inaccessible to anyone, save for the custodial personnel. Yesterday morning, my Chief-of-Staff, Atty. Fhillip Sawali, Atty. Chel Diokno, one of […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 816: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on SolGen Calida’s Flaunting of his Legal Victories during a recent House Hearing, re: ABS-CBN
SOLGEN Calida thinks he is a crusader, a knight in shining armor, when he professes to be fighting for a just cause in jailing me, ousting former Chief Justice Sereno, and shutting down ABS-CBN. He is proud of this record and his shameless prostitution of the law and rape of justice in accordance with Duterte’s […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 815: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on Duterte’s certification of the Anti-Terror Bill as urgent
Hindi na nakakagulat na i-certify naurgent ni Duterte ang Anti-Terror Bill kaysa unahing matugunan ang gutom at pangamba ng mga Pilipino sa gitna ng pandemya. Sa isang gobyernong wala naman talagang kakayahan at sinseridad na mamuno, gagawin na lamang nya ang kanyang tanging alam upang manatili sa kapangyarihan: manakot, maniil at mandahas ng kanyang sariling […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 814: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on the repeal of Sec. 6 of the Bayanihan Act
I fully support Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon in pushing for the repeal of Sections 6 of the Bayanihan Act because of the many abuses in its implementation. Clearly, there has been misuse or misapplication of such provision—another proof of the Duterte regime’s weaponization of the law in suppressing freedom of expression and in stifling […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 813: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Supplemental Reaction on the DFA suspension of VFA withdrawal
The suspension of the revocation of the VFA, while certainly a welcome move, only proves the whimsicality and arbitrariness of the unilateral presidential action of VFA abrogation. As in the previous withdrawal from the Rome Statute / ICC, public or national interest was never factored in. Only the selfish, personal and capricious interests of an […]