Detained Sen. Leila de Lima has asked a Muntinlupa court to allow the taking of her photo in her detention cell in Camp Crame, which will be used for the filing of documents with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for her reelection bid.
De Lima, through her lawyer, filed an urgent motion on Sept. 28 with the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256, which is handling her drug case No. 17-167 for conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading.
The senator, who won in the 2016 election, is seeking reelection in the May 9, 2022 elections.
“Accused, Leila M. de Lima, respectfully moves for the Honorable Court to allow the taking of her photograph for her official Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (CONA) and Certificate of Candidacy (COC), and the notarization of said documents, inside the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in the earliest possible time,” according to the motion.
The motion stated that the Comelec requires that the CONA and COC be filed together with “passport-size photograph taken within the last six (6) months.”
“Since her arrest and detention on 24 February 2017, Accused De Lima has not had any formal photographs taken of her,” the motion added.
The filing of candidacy, according to the Comelec, is from Oct. 1 to 8. On Sept. 27, the PNP Custodial Service Unit informed De Lima of the new policy of “prohibition of personal visits in offices and quartering units and other related measures” from Sept. 16 to 30.
“In this regard, considering the urgency of the matter, herein Accused humbly asks this Honorable Court to direct the PNP-CSU to allow a photographer to visit Accused De Lima in the earliest possible time, or any day within this week or next week, but not later than 05 October 2021, to take her official CONA and COC photographs inside the PNP Custodial Center, and to allow any of her listed counsels (as recorded in the Lawyers Masterlist on file at the PNP Custodial Center) duly commissioned as Notary Public to notarize the aforementioned and other related documents,” according to her request.
Presiding Judge Romeo Buenaventura of the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256 ordered government prosecutors to file a comment on De Lima’s urgent motion.