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 […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 979: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on the Shooting of another Lawyer
News reports have once again been besieged by a ruthless killing of another lawyer – and most horrifyingly, just six weeks after another lawyer was shot to death in the same city, and just a week ago, a Palawan lawyer. His was reportedly the 53rd assassination in the list of judges, lawyers and prosecutors who […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 978: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Sunday Reflections: On losing another pet cat
Melancholy visited me the past 2 days. I lost another pet cat here, BULL. He was gifted to me by a staff more than a year ago when one of my favorite cats, BRAN, died. Light gray in color, BULL, while tough-looking, was the quiet, reserved type, and very disciplined. He was easy to appreciate […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 977: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s reaction re Duterte’s slut shaming of VP Leni
Madaling mambastos kaysa mag-isip. Kaya itong si Duterte, dahil hindi nag-iisip, at sagad-butong mabaho ang bunganga, ay nambabastos na lang. Hindi kami papayag na gawin mo rin kay VP Leni ang ginawa mo sa akin. Dahil wala kang ebidensya, at pikunin ka, para siraan ang inaaway mong babae, inaatake mo na lang ang pagkababae n’ya. […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 976: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the recent disqualification of the Philippines from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grants
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastation left by the typhoons in the past few weeks, and the overall failing economy of our country, the disqualification of the Philippines as a possible recipient of a new 5-year grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) must be cause for serious concern. It is quite disconcerting that we […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 975: Sen. Leila M. de Lima On the Underspending of the ₱165.5-B Bayanihan 2 Funds
I have repeatedly pointed out the need to efficiently spend the funds to help the severely affected sectors of this pandemic and the poorest of the poor – the farmers, the jobless and unemployed, and our frontline health workers. Words that have largely been ignored. Contrary to the claim of the Duterte administration, the funds […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 974: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the massive flooding in Cagayan
Only after #CagayanNeedsHelp trended on social media that government officials were alerted to the plight of those in Cagayan and nearby areas who were stranded in darkness during Typhoon “Ulysses” amid the worst flooding in the province in 40 years. The severe flooding was largely blamed on dam operators releasing water volume equivalent to 2 […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 973: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s reaction to the latest killing of a lawyer, Atty. Eric Jay Magcamit
Another member of the Bar slain. Another senseless killing which adds to the now record high statistics on the number of legal professionals killed – more than 50 – in a span of only 4 ½ years of the Duterte regime. When will we see an end to this brazen assault on the legal community […]