Sen. Leila De lima
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
Senator Leila de Lima decried on Friday the filing of charges against her at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court, calling it a “travesty of truth and justice” and “plain and simple political persecution.”
“This is travesty of truth and justice. Plain and simple political persecution,” De Lima said in a statement.
“I will fight this out for as long as I can. They can never break my spirit…” she added.
The charges filed against the senator were in connection with her alleged involvement in illegal drugs when she was still Justice Secretary.”
READ: DOJ files fresh drug raps against De Lima
Even before the charges were filed in court, her supporters called “OneForLeila” gathered at a press conference in Quezon City to denounce her impending arrest, saying it was part of the government’s “unwarranted persecution” of De Lima.
READ: Groups back De Lima amid reported threat to arrest her
“We are women standing by Senator De Lima and calling on all fair-minded Filipinos to uphold truth and justice and dignity of women. Let us not allow the manipulation of systems that should really have been dispensed fairly. No to the arrest of Senator Leila de Lima,” said Karina David of #EveryWoman group.
Another group “Edsa 30 Pagkakaisa” believes that these “unmerited changes” were part of the administration’s continuous demolition job against the senator.
“We call the for the immediate cessation of the DOJ’s (Department of Justice) unwarranted persecution of Sen. De Lima and let the course of law prevail, not abuse its power to simply inflict undue harm on the good Senator through unjustified arrest,” it said.
“We ask every patriotic and concerned Filipino to stand with us against all forms of persecution and intimidation being carried out against anyone who stand with us against EJK (extrajudicial killings) and the prevailing culture of impunity and lawlessness and call instead for the rule of law and rightful dispensation of justice and immediate cessation of senseless killings which will never be the solution to our country’s problem on crime and drugs,” the group added.
Akbayan Youth said the threat of arrest against De Lima was “blatant political persecution, nothing more and nothing less.”
“She dared to stand up against police abuses and the government’s policy to kill the poor. She stood up for the people, especially for those victimized by the government’s brutal war on drugs. Senator de Lima braved to speak truth to power, and for that she is being persecuted by those whose abuses she has sought to unmask,” the group said in a separate statement.
“The message is clear: all those who disagree with government policy must be silenced. Opposition must be repressed.”
The group then called on the government “to resist the temptation of repressing the opposition.”
“Democracy thrives on a healthy opposition and the people’s collective pursuit of the truth. The government too must find courage not by silencing dissent but by facing and addressing critique.”
“Finally we call on our generation not to allow the return of dictatorship, in any form. As we have shown before – we the millennials shall resist, and we shall resist relentlessly. No to political persecution! No to past and future dictators! Fight for the resistance, keep democracy alive!”
The group called “The Silent Majority” called on the President to address the pressing problems of the country instead of persecuting the senator.
“Tigilan na ninyo si Senadora Leila de Lima at ang bawat indibidwal na nakikipaglaban para sa hustisya, naninindigan para demokrasya, at at naglilingkod sa kapakanan ng sambayanan,” it said.
(Give Senator Leila de Lima and other individuals fighting for justice, standing up for democracy and serving the public welfare a break.) IDL/rga