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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Again and again! De Lima celebrates 3rd acquittal from same drug case

Again and again! De Lima celebrates 3rd acquittal from same drug case

Published Oct 1, 2025 07:25 pm

At A Glance

  • How many times does Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima need to be acquitted? On Wednesday, Oct. 1, De Lima welcomed her third acquittal from the same drug case filed against her during the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima (Facebook)
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima (Facebook)


How many times does Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima need to be acquitted?
On Wednesday, Oct. 1, De Lima welcomed her third acquittal from the same drug case filed against her during the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
"As the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 204 granted the DOJ (Department of Panel of Prosecutors’ motion to withdraw its motion seeking to reconsider my second acquittal in the same illegal drug case, it is now deemed closed and terminated—for the third time," she said in a statement.
"The first acquittal was in May 2023. This was followed by my second acquittal in the same case last June, when the Court reaffirmed its decision after the Court of Appeals (CA) 8th Division remanded the case," recalled De Lima.
"We welcome this development and thank Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara for once again upholding justice and the rule of law," added the congresswoman, who was incarcerated during most of the Duterte presidency.
Despite this, De Lima said her fight for justice and accountability wasn't over.
"I am calling on [Department of] Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to take swift action regarding my letter-complaint submitted last Aug. 14, requesting an administrative investigation against the members of the DOJ Panel who handled my three trumped-up drug cases, for grave misconduct and gross ignorance of the law," she said.
De Lima said there must be a "reckoning" against those who tried to bent the law just to give her a hard time.
"There must be [a] reckoning. Hindi natin palalampasin ang ginawa nilang paniniil at pambabaluktot sa ating sistemang pangkatarungan. Managot ang dapat managot! (We will not let their oppression and distortion of our justice system go unchallenged. Those responsible must be held accountable!)" she said.
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