Roque rebuffs Aquino: De Lima in jail for drugs, not principles

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque (left) rejected on Monday the praise given by former President Benigno Aquino III (right) to detained Sen. Leila de Lima, saying she is in jail for drugs and not for her principles. INQUIRER FILES

Malacañang rejected on Monday the praise given by former President Benigno Aquino III to detained Senator Leila de Lima and his call for the public to continue supporting her.

“With all due respect to the former president, Senator Leila de Lima is not fighting for her principles and was not detained because of her political beliefs,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

Roque issued the statement after Aquino lauded De Lima’s leadership during the launching of her electronic book “Dispatches from Crame I.”

Aquino said the public should continue to support de Lima, a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

“The lady Senator was arrested and incarcerated because of serious drug charges where she was accused of allowing the illegal drug trade to proliferate inside the New Bilibid Prison when she was the DOJ Secretary,” Roque said.

De Lima, who was arrested on February 24, 2017, is detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crime on drug charges. /cbb