Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Wednesday called on his colleagues in the Senate to “do the right thing” and demand for the release of Senator Leila de Lima from jail.
In a privilege speech, Trillanes took up the cudgels for De Lima, three days after the senator celebrated her birthday while in detention. She was put behind bars for “trumped up” drug charges.
The senator, who, like De Lima, is a staunch critic of President Duterte, urged the senators to defend their colleague from the “injustices” under the current administration.
“I know Senator De Lima may have offended some of you, personally, during her tenure as Secretary of Justice. I had my own run-ins with her when she opposed our amnesty then. Quite ironic because here I am now, standing by her; standing for her; fighting for her,” Trillanes said.
“Ganito rin ako makipaglaban para sa iba sa inyo noong nakaraan. Ganito tayo dapat sa isa’t isa, lalo na kung para sa tama. Six months na siyang nakakulong, mabigat na parusa yan sa para isang taong walang pagkakasala,” he said.
“My colleagues, it’s time to do the right thing.”
Trillanes said all senators “know deep in (their) hearts” that the former Justice secretary was not into the drug trade.
If the senators had been vocal against the administration’s freeing of Supt. Marvin Marcos and his men for committing murder, much more that they should be outraged by the oppression against De Lima, he said.
“There was no overt action done at all to merit her incarceration. Kung nag-express tayo ng outrage sa pagpapalaya kay Supt. Marcos at kanyang mga kasamahan na maliwanag na nag-commit ng murder, dapat lalo tayong magalit sa ginawa at ginagawa kay Senator De Lima. By any established standard, that is injustice,” Trillanes said.
“Kaya ang aking apela sa aking mga kasamahan dito sa Senado, panahon na para ituwid natin ang malaking pagkakamaling ito at sumama sa aking panawagan na palayain si Sen. Leila De Lima,” he continued.
He also called on Senator Panfilo Lacson and his public order and dangerous drugs committee to investigate the accusations of drug convicts inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) against the lady senator.
Trillanes cited possible reasons why De Lima is being persecuted by Duterte and his men.
He said this was because even before he became president, De Lima, as former Human Rights commissioner, established his role in the so-called “Davao Death Squad.” Duterte was also angered that De Lima had been criticizing his brutal drug war that led to the death of over 12,000 persons in just a year.
Lastly, Trillanes said Duterte, by putting his fiercest critic in jail, wanted to create a chilling effect “so other oppositionists would be afraid to stand up to him lest they end up facing trumped up charges like her.”
The senator also belied the claims of witnesses, including Bilibid convicts, against De Lima.
De Lima has been detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center since February.