Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel lagman. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / JAM STA ROSA
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman on Thursday advised President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to free Sen. Leila de Lima so his administration could start off on the right foot.
De Lima has been detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame for over five years while on trial for drug charges.
Several personalities suspected to be involved in illegal drugs, including former government officials, have since recanted their statements in court against the senator.
In a statement on Thursday, Lagman said that upon Marcos’ assumption of office, freeing De Lima would be “the litmus test of his sense of justice and adherence to the rule of law.”
“The new administration will embark on the right foot by freeing De Lima from an unwarranted and unjust imprisonment,” he said.
Lagman pointed out that the sitting President “ultimately controls the prosecution of criminal cases.”
He proposed that Marcos, when he assumes the presidency, direct public prosecutors “to desist from further prosecuting De Lima for want of competent and credible evidence.”
According to Lagman, one of three drug cases filed against the senator was already dismissed in February last year for insufficient evidence.
He pointed out that main prosecution witnesses in two other pending cases have voluntarily recanted their statements, claiming they were coerced to testify against De Lima.
“While De Lima languishes in jail, the prosecution is grasping at barren straws,” Lagman said.
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