ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senators welcome dismissal of De Lima's remaining drug case

Senators welcome dismissal of De Lima's remaining drug case

Escudero hopes De Lima would join 2025 senatorial race

Published Jun 25, 2024 05:40 am

Senators on Tuesday, June 25 welcomed the dismissal of the remaining drug cases that have been hurled against former senator Leila De Lima. 

 

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said he is hoping that De Lima would still join in the upcoming 2025 senatorial elections and win a seat in the Senate once again. 

 

“I congratulate former senator De Lima not only for finally getting justice but for facing her accusers head-on and following and believing in the rule of law, however unfair it may have looked upon her at that time,” Escudero said in a statement.

 

“As a fellow Bicolano, I am proud of her resilience and unwavering faith in God and in the truth,” he further said.

 

“I hope (she would join the race) because she deserves to be in the Senate,” Escudero added. 

 

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a fellow opposition lawmaker, also welcomed the latest development on De Lima.

 

“The dismissal of former senator De Lima’s third and last case proves that justice is based on truth and evidence, not on baseless charges and political motivations,” Hontiveros said. 

 

“She has faced public ridicule and injustices, yet she remained steadfast in her commitment to truth and justice,” she pointed out. 

 

Hontiveros said she has long believed that De Lima is innocent and so is happy that she has finally achieved justice. 

 

Still, she said, it is imperative to hold her accusers accountable for wrongfully accusing her of being involved in the illegal drug trade. 

 

“From ‘Free Leila Now’ to ‘Now, Leila is free.’ But we need to focus our attention on those who have wrongly accused her. False charges compromise not only the accused's reputation but also the integrity of our legal system,” she said. 

 

“We call upon the authorities to pursue and hold accountable those who have perpetuated these unfounded allegations,” Hontiveros said. 

 

“Justice must be served, and those who have wronged her and our legal system must face the consequences of their actions,” the lawmaker added. 

 

Other groups have also joined in welcoming De Lima’s acquittal from the drug cases instigated by the former Duterte administration.

 

Amnesty International Deputy Regional Director for Research Montse Ferrer said “De Lima’s acquittal in this last outstanding case is long overdue.”

 

“…And every day she spent in jail until her temporary release in November 2023 was a gross injustice,” Ferrer said in a statement.

 

“She was viciously targeted by the administration of former President Duterte solely for her efforts to expose human rights violations in the so-called ‘war on drugs’,” he added.

 

The United States government also welcomed De Lima’s acquittal on her last drug-related case and urged the Philippines to resolve all politically-motivated cases in compliance with its international human rights obligations and commitments.

 

Related Tags

Amnesty International Senate of the Philippines Risa Hontiveros Leila de Lima US GOVERNMENT francis Chiz Escudero War on drugs
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.