De Lima: 2nd year in jail a reminder of authoritarian regime

Sen. Leila de Lima (Photo from her Facebook page)

MANILA, Philippines — Oppositionist Sen. Leila de Lima marked her second year in detention on Sunday by stressing it as a reminder of the authoritarian regime of President Rodrigo Duterte and his power to persecute his political critics.

In a statement issued on Sunday, De Lima said that, although the President managed to keep her detained, she had been able to do her job as a public servant.

“The vengeful Mr. Duterte may be successful in confining me in this isolated quarters in Camp Crame for two years now, but he also failed to stop me from fulfilling my public duties in the last two years, and he will continue to fail to do such in the days to come,” De Lima said.

Earlier, the senator said she had been able to craft 113 bills and 123 resolutions on diverse issues such as poverty, sovereignty, human rights, violence, social justice, corruption, rural-urban migration, gender equality, social security, and food security — all inside the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Meanwhile, she dubbed Feb. 24 as a “Day of Injustice,” saying: “It will remind us that, aside from me, there are others out there who were falsely accused and were made to pay for the crimes that they never committed because justice has always been on the hands of the powerful.”

READ: De Lima: 142 bills, 146 resolutions filed despite 726 days in detention https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1087350/de-lima-142-bills-146-resolutions-filed-despite-726-days-in-detention#ixzz5gRwhfaxR

De Lima has received the support of international rights organizations during her time in detention, most of which have appealed for her release.

She has been detained since Feb. 24, 2017, over drug-related charges which she has repeatedly claimed as “politically motivated” and “fabricated.” /atm

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