MANILA – Malacañang on Tuesday stated that the detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima, who is seeking another term in the Senate, is trying to get the sympathy of Filipino voters with barely a month before the May 9 elections.
Acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar made this remark in response to de Lima’s statement that the topic about her case raised during the recent Commission on Elections (Comelec) presidential debate, highlighted how President Rodrigo Roa Duterte “created a culture of fear as some presidentiables were obviously reluctant to speak up on the said issue.”
“Senator Leila de Lima’s latest remarks are spoken in the middle of the campaign season. It is therefore understandable she wants to get the sympathy vote from the Filipino electorate,” Andanar said in a press statement.
Three presidential candidates were asked during the second Comelec-sponsored debate to weigh in on whether de Lima should be freed or not.
De Lima, one of Duterte’s most vocal detractors, has been imprisoned since February 2017 for allegedly conspiring to operate a drug trafficking network within the New Bilibid Prison while serving as Justice Secretary.
She has repeatedly denied these charges.
According to Senator Manny Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, de Lima should be allowed to exercise her right to defend herself in court.
Labor leader Leody de Guzman stated that de Lima should be released, mentioning that her detention was Duterte’s “revenge” against her after she probed the so-called Davao Death Squad in 2009.
De Lima is one of the guest candidates under de Guzman’s Senate slate. He has stated several times that he believes de Lima is a “victim” of a malicious attack under the Duterte regime.
In a Tweet, she thanked de Guzman for vowing to give her justice should he be elected as president.
Andanar stated that he respected the opinions of all presidential aspirants, but noted that the detained senator has already had the chance to defend herself.
“While we respect the opinions of the presidentiables who gave their stance on Senator De Lima’s detention, we have to underscore that the senator has been accorded due process in all stages of her criminal prosecution,” Andanar said.
He emphasized the significance of upholding the rule of law.
“The rule of law, as President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said in numerous occasions, must always prevail,” he added.
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