De Lima dispels spread of false information about her alleged disqualification from running for reelection; urges voters to be smart and vigilant

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima fought back against the recent proliferation of fake news on social media falsely claiming that she is not qualified to seek reelection because of her detention.

De Lima, the most prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime who remains detained over bogus drug charges, maintained that she has all the qualifications for Senator as set forth in the 1987 Constitution.

"Nakarating po sa akin na may ipinapakalat na naman na fake news ang mga bayarang trolls na ako daw ay hindi kwalipikado na tumakbo sa Halalan 2022 dahil nakakulong ako. Huwag po kayong maniwala," she said in a handwritten statement.

"I have all the qualifications for Senator as set forth in the 1987 Constitution (Sec. 3, Art. VI) and none of the disqualifications provided under the law (Sec. 12 & Sec. 68, Omnibus Election Code)," she added.

Most importantly, De Lima said she is allowed to seek reelection because "I have not been convicted, let alone by final judgment, of any criminal offense."

De Lima urged the public to be smart and vigilant against fake news, stressing that the fake news claiming that she is not qualified to seek reelection is obviously part of disinformation campaign against her as she declared her candidacy.

"Labanan ang mga kasinungalingan, lalo na ngayong election period. Let's be very discerning and vigilant," she said.

In a separate statement addressing the Filipino public, De Lima added: "Let us always make it a habit to check the legitimacy or veracity of any pieces of information that we read online before believing them. Ngayong papalapit na ang eleksyon, asahan na ang paninira at pagpapakalat ng maling impormasyon ng mga gustong manatili sa poder at ng kanilang mga kasabwat para patuloy na pagtakpan ang kanilang kalokohan at nang hindi sila mapanagot sa hinaharap."

De Lima filed her Certificate of Candidacy last Oct. 8, sharing that among the reasons she decided to seek reelection include her goal to further advance her five foremost advocacies, namely, Social Justice, Human Rights (which encompass the rights to food, health and decent standards of living), Criminal Justice Reform, Good Governance and Rule of Law, and National Sovereignty.

The lady Senator from Bicol also said that she would hold Mr. Duterte and his lackeys accountable for the thousands of killings, corruption and other human rights abuses that ran rampant under his administration.