De Lima sends names of individuals behind her arrest, detention to US

MANILA, Philippines — Detained administration critic and opposition Senator Leila de Lima has submitted a list of people purportedly behind her arrest to the United States government for a possible travel ban.

De Lima’s chief communications officer Ferdie Maglalang said in a phone interview that the senator submitted the list, citing a U.S. Senate Resolution that would impose sanctions against her jailers and enablers of human rights violations.

Maglalang said the U.S. has yet to respond to De Lima’s list, which was “purely recommendatory.”

“Nagkaroon ng US Senate Resolution na nagsasabi na yung mga government officials na may kinalaman sa persecution ni Senator De Lima at may human rights violations ay bibigyan ng travel ban,” he said.

(There was a U.S. Senate Resolution saying that government officials who were involved in the persecution of Senator De Lima and those with human rights violations will be imposed with a travel ban.)

“So, si Senator Leila came up with a list ng mga persecutors tapos sinubmit niya ‘yung listahan sa US,” he added.

(So, Senator Leila came up with a list of persecutors and she sent this list to the U.S.)

De Lima earlier said she would submit the list, which she refused to divulge, to the US Department of State.

In December 2019, President Donald Trump signed America’s 2020 budget that included a provision allowing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to bar from entering U.S. the Philippine officials involved in the “wrongful imprisonment” of De Lima, who was one of the fiercest critics of President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration.

The amendment to the measure was introduced by Senators Dick Durbin and Patrick Leahy and was likewise supported by Senator Edward Mackey.

In a tit for tat, Duterte barred the three U.S. lawmakers’ entry to the Philippines.

READ: PH bans entry of 2 US senators backing De Lima

READ: Duterte bans another US Senator

De Lima has been detained in the custodial center of the Philippine National Police in Camp Crame, Quezon City, since February 2017 over drug-related charges that she has vehemently denied.

The senator, during her term as justice secretary, allegedly allowed the proliferation of illegal drugs at the New Bilibid Prison and supposedly received kickbacks from drug trafficking activities.

KGA