MANILA, Philippines — Senator Leila de Lima has questioned many court orders, even her own indictment for what she calls “trumped-up” drug charges for heaping criticism on President Rodrigo Duterte, but why not post bail?
For Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, the opposition senator did not apply for bail probably because she was convinced that the prosecution has strong evidence against her.
De Lima is facing a non-bailable offense for allegedly accepting drug money from high-profile inmates of the New Bilibid Prison when she was Justice secretary from 2010 to 2015, but even if this was the case, Guevarra said she would have considered applying for bail if she thinks that the evidence of the prosecution is weak.
“If you think that the evidence of the prosecution is weak, if you are the accused, you would probably consider filing a petition for bail, but she has not done so,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
“I cannot really fathom, I cannot second guess why Sen. De Lima has not done so. Maybe she believes that the evidence of the prosecution is strong,” Gueverra also said but added that the senator should be the one to explain why she did make such move.
Former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, for instance, gained temporary liberty in 2015 after posting bail for his plunder and graft cases in connection with the P10-B pork barrel scam. This, despite plunder being a non-bailable offense.
The Supreme Court junked in 2017 De Lima’s plea for her release and the dismissal of her case. The senator, one of the fiercest critics of President Rodrigo Duterte has been detained since February 2017.
Earlier, Duterte barred United States Senators Patrick Leahy and Dick Durbin for pushing for inclusion in the US 2020 budget the provision banning the entry of Filipino officials who they said are involved in De Lima’s “wrongful imprisonment.” Sen. Edward Markey was later also banned entry to the Philippines after voicing support for the travel ban on Filipino officials they believe were responsible for De Lima’s detention.
Guevarra, however, dismissed this move of the U.S. lawmakers as an “interference” of the legal and judicial process under local laws, asking why they would call for the freedom of somebody undergoing trial.