Dispatch from Crame No. 678:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on DFA Sec. Locsin calling US Senate Res. 142 "idiotic"

12/16/19

Duterte's characteristic legal mediocrity clearly appears to be rubbing off on his official family. First, Panelo, now Teddyboy Locsin, an otherwise brilliant lawyer and writer.

Sec. Locsin said only an acquittal, a conviction, or the granting of a demurrer can end a criminal trial. He forgets his criminal procedure and fails to mention withdrawal of the Information, desistance from pursuing the case or failure to prosecute, all by the prosecution, as other ways of ending a criminal trial.

Of course, there is no positive law that says that when the US Senate or any foreign parliament tells the Philippine government to release me that the latter should follow suit. The US Senate does not really expect the PH government to follow its demand as if they had the authority to order it.

The US Senators know that. What they are saying is that there are consequences to my continuous persecution by Duterte and his officials. These include applying the Global Magnitsky sanctions, i.e., entry ban, and freezing and forfeiture of US assets.

Locsin knows or ought to know that this threat of consequences is perfectly legal and binding insofar as the US is concerned.

Mr. Locsin, it is not hard to set an innocent person free. All you have to possess is the legal aptitude to be able to weigh the value of the statements of 13 criminal convicts all serving life sentences and other compromised characters, as against US Senators of the most powerful nation in the world and other global personalities and institutions who consistently act in solidarity with me and my causes.

You cannot be that naïve or close-minded in failing or refusing to see what the rest of the world sees: that the charges against me are pure fiction, a product of orchestrated lies assembled by certain officials and operators on explicit orders of Duterte as the highlight of his personal vendetta against me. A very disturbing situation that compels many just men and women to act and demand for justice and accountability on my behalf.

You still have a choice whether to continuously identify yourself among the cohorts or enablers, or regain your brilliant legal mind. I am sure the former is already tiresome, as you yourself must admit that among them, you are in the company of idiots.

(Access the handwritten copy of Dispatch from Crame No. 678 here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_678)