Dispatch from Crame No. 415: Statement of Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Opposition Koalisyon and the Conspiracy of Hope
The politics of hate and fear brutalizes us. But it need not paralyze and subdue us. It can be confronted and addressed with our will and determination. It can even catalyze a common sense of purpose, unleash resistance and resolve, forge unity, and engender hope that things may change for the better. Ito ang aking […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 414: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Maranao and Bangsamoro woman leader Samira Gutoc-Tomawis running for Senator: ANG KWENTO AT KWENTA NI SAMIRA GUTOC-TOMAWIS
You may not know SAMIRA GUTOC-TOMAWIS, but she knows us. You may not be familiar with her face, but she’s the face of the ordinary Filipina. Samira first broke into the national consciousness on 22 July 2017, when she valiantly spoke before the joint session of Congress that resolved to extend the martial law in […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 413: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on the appalling prevalence of political dynasties
The 2019 election season proves to be a no-holds-barred occasion for Philippine political dynasties. Since there is no enabling law, but only a non-self executing constitutional provision, that deals with political dynasties and the scourge that they represent in our democratic system of elections, political families have once again fielded candidates for multiple positions. This […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 412: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on her colleague’s reaction to the IPU reso
I view with disappointment the harsh reactions of my colleagues, Senate President Tito Sotto and Sen. Ping Lacson, to the request of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) for the Philippine Senate to act on the Duterte government’s acts of persecution against me and Sen. Sonny Trillanes. As their fellow senator, I would like to think that […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 411: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on the Philippines as Duterte’s Narco-State
With billions of pesos worth of shabu smuggled successfully not once, but twice (and perhaps even more), into the Philippines under the very noses of Customs officials, the Philippines has truly become a Narco-State under no other President but Duterte himself. The biggest question in the Duterte administration’s drug war that is not being answered […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 410: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on the RTC-Makati’s junking of the Government’s Motion for the Arrest of Sen. Trillanes
I welcome with guarded optimism the order of RTC Makati Judge Andres Soriano denying the government’s motion for the arrest of Sen. Sonny Trillanes. Nowadays, it is difficult for the judiciary to defy the wishes of the government, especially if pressure is coming directly from Duterte’s personal interest to have Trillanes arrested and silenced. This […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 409: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on the Hacienda Nene Massacre
I strongly condemn the killing of the nine (9) farmers, including four (4) women and two (2) minors, in Hacienda Nene in Sagay City, Negros Occidental last Saturday night. The reports say that the victims just started their “bungkalan” activity wherein peasants occupy and cultivate idle portions of private lands when the shooting happened. This […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 408: Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima on Courage and senatorial aspirant Gary Alejano
Moral courage is a rare commodity in our country. Under the current climate of fear and terror in an emergent authoritarianism, seldom do we find someone – especially a politician – who has the guts and grit to speak truth to power and call out the excesses of authority. Gary Alejano belongs to that unique […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 407: Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima on Leadership and Secretary Mar Roxas
If there is one thing I learn about leadership in all my years in public service, it is this: Leadership is largely about making sacrifices, about serving the people with selflessness, with the need to place the common good ahead of personal interests. I have come across so many good leaders – I even had […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 406: De Lima: Florin Hilbay is More than Equal to the Senate Task
“Nasaan ang kabataang mag-aalayng kanilang kasibulang buhay,ng kanilang adhikain at sigasigsa kabutihan ng bansa? Nasaan ang siyang puspusangmagbubuhos ng dugoupang hugasang lahat ang ating kahihiyan,ang ating mga kalapastanganan,ang ating kabalintunaan?” Mga linya ito ni Padre Florentino sa El Filibusterismo ni Gat Jose Rizal kung saan hinahanap n’ya ang kabataang handang maglingkod sa bayan. Napapanahon ngayon […]