MANILA, Philippines — Detained Sen. Leila de Lima should include herself and former Senator Antonio Trillanes on the list of personalities she wanted to get banned in the United States, Malacañang said Saturday.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo issued the reaction after her lawyer Fhillip Sawali said the senator is making a “more comprehensive” and “more detailed” list of Philippine officials and personalities behind her arrest and detention.
“She should put her on the top list plus Trillanes and others who have been peddling lies to the outside world,” Panelo said in a text message.
De Lima is expected to include President Rodrigo Duterte, whom she said, is persecuting her.
“She already said she would include but if I were you, you should ignore her nonsense. She is just using you people to become relevant while in detention,” Panelo said.
De Lima has been detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center since February 2017 over drug charges.
The opposition senator allegedly allowed the proliferation of illegal drugs at the New Bilibid Prison during her term as Justice secretary and has received money from drug lords.
“As far we are concerned, she is an irrelevant political entity,” he said.
President Donald Trump has recently signed the U.S. government’s $1.4-trillion 2020 budget, which included a provision that allows U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to bar Philippine officials from entering the U.S. if he has “credible information” that they were involved in the “wrongful imprisonment” of De Lima.
In response, Duterte has ordered to ban U.S. Senators Dick Durbin, Patrick Leahy and Edward Markey who supported the ban.
Edited by MUF