Dispatch from Crame No. 682:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima's Reaction to Sec. Guevarra's downplaying of US S. Res. 142

12/21/19

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra thinks US Senate Resolution 142 is "trash", and that I should just wait for my trial to finish. That is easy to say for someone not in prison, and who is responsible for the continuation of injustice that is my incarceration based on fabricated charges.

Guevarra says US S. Res. 142 asking for my release violates Philippine laws. No, it does not. It is merely like any domestic or international call for my release. It just so happened that in the case of the US Senate, the call is backed up with serious potential sanctions that will hurt my persecutors, including Guevarra himself. Hence, it has the punch that Guevarra and other in the Duterte officialdom fear.

Like his predecessor, this Secretary of Justice has discarded rule of law when he allowed criminal convicts to stand as state witnesses against me, in violation of the law; when he allowed a null and void information to survive despite its (both the original and amended Information) failure to charge an offense, let alone a drug-related offense, against me; when he continues to exclude from prosecution those who appear to be the most guilty, the Bilibid drug lords and Rafael Ragos, just so they can testify against me; when he allows commission of perjury and subornation of perjury against me.

Sec. Guevarra, hindi lang ang US S. Res 142 ang ibinasura mo. Ang pinaka-una mong ibinasura ay ang pananaig ng batas at hustisya sa Pilipinas, mula noong nagsuot ka na ng mga tapalodo sa mata para hindi mo mapansin ang kahindik-hindik na paglapastangan sa batas na ginagawa ni Duterte. May oras din na matatapos ang rehimeng ito. At pagdating ng panahon na iyon, kayo ang ibabasura ng kasaysayan. ###

(Access the handwritten version of Dispatch from Crame No. 682, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_682)