CBCP welcomes Leila de Lima’s release on bail: But why only now?

Former Senator Leila de Lima visits the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag in Pangasinan in this photo taken on Nov. 14, a day after she was released on bail. Photo from the office of Atty. Leila de Lima

MANILA, Philippines — Welcoming the news of former Senator Leila de Lima’s release on bail, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has questioned why it “took so long.”

According to the CBCP, their president, Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, said they “couldn’t help” but question why the court move was “delayed.”

“Praise God for this good news! But why only now?” David said in a statement posted on Tuesday.

“Why did it take this long for her to be granted bail?” he added.

Citing the bishop, the CBCP said the delayed court decision on De Lima’s case highlights the problems in the Philippine justice system.

“This case has made it so obvious that something is very wrong about our justice system,” David said.

Meanwhile, for Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, De Lima was jailed for “standing firm against wrongdoing.”

The CBCP recalled that the former senator was a fierce critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs.

READ: De Lima finally steps out of Camp Crame after almost 7 years

“Evil people have wounded her and tried their best to destroy her,” Villegas said.

READ: Why did court grant bail for De Lima and others?

“She is an example to imitate in her patriotism and deep faith,” he added.

READ: Timeline: The ordeal of Leila de Lima

The former senator was arrested in 2017 for illegal drug-involvement allegations, which she denied and claimed innocence on.

De Lima spent nearly seven years in detention and was finally released on Monday after a Muntinlupa court allowed her to post bail.