Dispatch from Crame No. 465: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the ordeal of Col. Ferdinand Marcelino
I am glad that Marine Col. Ferdinand Marcelino has found the courage to speak out and assert anew his innocence on the drug charges previously filed against him. Indeed, being falsely accused is most painful. I know exactly, without any exaggeration, how it feels to be falsely accused. Perhaps what many people do not know […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 464: SEN. LEILA M. DE LIMA ON THE HOUSE COMMITTEES’ RECOMMENDATION TO FILE CHARGES AGAINST PNOY, ET. AL.
The House Committees on Health and Good Government recently came out with a report recommending the filing of graft charges against former President Benigno S. Aquino III, former Budget Sec. Florencio Abad, and former Health Sec. Janet Garin in the acquisition of the Dengvaxia vaccine. The recommendation is indeed questionable, as argued by Rep. Kaka […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 463: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law
The people have spoken: the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) has been ratified. A great victory for peace in Mindanao! The road to just and lasting peace in Mindanao has been long and difficult: blood had been shed, lives had been lost, and families had been torn apart. But the painstaking efforts of past and present […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 462: SEN. LEILA M. DE LIMA ON THE PASSAGE OF MILESTONE SOCIAL JUSTICE BILLS
Social Justice lies at the heart of the 1987 Constitution, evinced by Art. II, Sec. 10 thereof, which provides that the “State shall promote social justice in all phases of national development,” and Art. XIII where both concepts of Social Justice and Human Rights were combined to make clear that the promotion of the former […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 461: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on the twin bombings and pattern of lies
The recent bombings in Mindanao shattering houses of worship and killing innocent worshippers are nothing but savage, senseless and barbaric acts that warrant an independent probe. That the culprits attacked more than the symbolism of the place than the faithful who happened to be there makes the act extremely vicious. They assailed peace, targeted particularly […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 460: A REAL MENACE TO SOCIETY; TIME TO SPEAK OUT (Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Reflection in her 24th month of unjust detention)
We need to have a serious talk about Rody. More specifically, we – parents, adults, educators, community leaders, and all self-respecting Filipinos – have to talk about Rody Duterte’s foul mouth, which is like an open wound that oozes a revolting stream of pus that is the manifestation of the sickness that afflicts his mind […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 449: OPPOSITION SENATOR LEILA M. DE LIMA LAMENTS “WEATHER WEATHER LANG YAN” NARRATIVE
For two years now, the advent of a New Year painfully brings to mind the impending anniversary of my detention. In six weeks, I would be under detention for two full years. 2 years of unjust detention as a prisoner of conscience. Guilty of nothing more and nothing less than the sin of “doing the […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 459: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on Autism and the “Boyet Challenge”
Our struggle for real freedom and true equality in this country can never be won without removing all forms of discrimination and bigotry in our midst. We can never claim to be a people who values the dignity and equal worth of everyone without giving “the least, the lost, and the last” among us – […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 458: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on Cronyism and the Glaring Conflict of Interest Involved in the Issues, Re: 3rd Telco Player
Last week’s Senate hearing on the third telco player has exposed that cronyism and high-level corruption are alive and well in the Duterte government. The favored company, MISLATEL, has basically nothing to its name but a franchise that has never been used to operate any telecommunication service. According to Sen. Drilon, MISLATEL’s franchise is even […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 457: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on the Wasted Farm Produce in the Cordilleras
In a country such with substantial number of its citizens starving, to see images of vegetables being dumped on the roadside in Benguet, Northern Luzon is simply revolting. Due to oversupply and refusal of traders to buy their goods, Cordillera farmers had no choice but to throw away their unsold and rotting produce. The onslaught […]