De Lima protests exclusion from Senate sessions

Opposition Sen. Leila de Lima has protested her exclusion from the Senate’s proposed virtual sessions, calling it a product of “petty politics.”

The senator, who has been detained for three years on what she said were trumped-up drug charges, disputed Senate President Vicente Sotto III’s statement that she could not be allowed to join the virtual sessions because she is under the jurisdiction of the courts and of the Philippine National Police.

“The only limitation brought about by my detention is my mobility and ability to travel. As long as I stay in the detention center, there is nothing that prevents me from performing my job as a duly elected Senator.

The jurisdiction of the court is not affected by my participation in Senate hearings via electronic means,” she said. —Leila B. Salaverria