Minority bloc wants De Lima back in Senate

The Senate minority bloc wants the Senate leadership to appeal to the court to allow detained Sen. Leila de Lima to take part in the deliberations of crucial legislation.

In a statement on Sunday, the Senate minority bloc said it has filed Senate Resolution No. 505 that also maintained that De Lima was not a flight risk “because she has willingly and voluntarily surrendered herself to proper authorities when a warrant for her arrest was served more than six months ago.”

“In the exercise of the Senate’s constitutional mandate to serve the people, it is in the best interest of the institution to allow Senator De Lima to continue her legislative duties pending the trial of her cases, ” said the resolution filed by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, as well as Senators Francis Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros and Antonio Trillanes IV.

Trumped up

De Lima is currently detained at a facility of the Philippine National Police inside Camp Crame in Quezon City, as she awaits the outcome of her trial for three illegal drug cases. De Lima has denied the charges and said the cases were all trumped up by the administration for staunchly opposing and criticizing President Duterte’s policies, particularly on the war on drugs.

Custody

The minority bloc said the Senate could take custody of De Lima and guarantee to the court she would be “present whenever her presence may be required by the court or any other proper authorities at any given time.”

“By allowing Senator De Lima to continue performing her duties as a senator of the Republic of the Philippines, we are heeding to the call of the overwhelming mandate of the electorate who wants Senator De Lima to represent them,” the senators said.