Sen. Leila de Lima. Image from her Twitter account
MANILA, Philippines — Detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima accepted on Wednesday the Liberal Party’s nomination of her as a senator in the 2022 national elections.
“I humbly accept the nomination of the Liberal Party as one of the candidates for senator in the 2022 elections,” she said in a statement.
“I will not let prison and persecution stand in the way of the fight against Duterte’s evil regime,” said the feisty senator who had been in detention for most of her first term in the Senate on what she claimed were trumped up charges.
Aside from de Lima, the other slate nominees of the Liberal Party are party president Senator Francis Pangilinan, Senator Risa Hontiveros, former senator Bam Aquino, and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno.
“Together with Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, former Sen. Bam Aquino, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Atty. Chel Diokno, and the leadership of VP Leni [Robredo], we will make sure the voice of the real opposition is heard in 2022,” de Lima said.
Meanwhile, Vice President Leni Robredo has not finalized her 2022 plans yet, but is still hoping to form a united opposition.