FORMER President Benigno Aquino III was worried about the safety of his former Justice secretary, Senator Leila de Lima, who was arrested over drug charges, Senator Francis Pangilinan said Friday.
The former president also called De Lima, a close friend, Thursday night while the senator was at her Senate office before surrendering Friday morning.
Pangilinan said Aquino also called him at the Senate to check on De Lima’s situation.
“We talked this morning. Of course, he was concerned about the safety of Senator Leila. His concern was her safety and security,” said Pangilinan.
Pangilinan said De Lima was “composed” after her arrest, but her blood pressure was slightly elevated.
Pangilinan and Dinagat Island Rep. Arlene Bag-ao accompanied De Lima at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame where the police brought her after she was arrested on illegal drug charges.
While CIDG members were taking De Lima’s mugshot and fingerprints during the booking procedure, Bag-ao said De Lima kept shaking her head.
“She could not understand why she needed to do that, because what is she guilty of?” Bag-ao said.
“You can see on her face the indignation, as if she were saying, ‘I would do this as part of the process’ even if she did not believe she needed to do that,” Bag-ao said.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, another Duterte critic, said the primary objective of the arrest was to send a chilling message to the political opposition and critics that they could be next.
“Well, the effect to me is exactly the opposite. I am now motivated more than ever to expose him for being a plunderer and mass murderer that he truly is,” said Trillanes who had revived his allegations that the President has P2.2 billion in ill-gotten welqth.
Trillanes also called Duterte a mass murderer.
LIberal Party member Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV lamented that despite the absence of a paper trail, De Lima had to be detained.
He said the convicted criminals who testified against De Lima were even rewarded and afforded special privileges.
“It is condemnable that the administration railroads rules and processes for political vendetta,” he said.
He noted that the President is now fulfilling his promise to destroy De Lima. He said the arrest of their colleague and party mate was political persecution at its worst.
“We really feel that this is political persecution and this is a way to stamp out dissent in the country. A way to stamp out critics,” he said.
Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros said the arrest was “a travesty” of the country’s justice system.
She warned that this set a dangerous precedent for the government to arrest and incarcerate individuals that it perceives as its enemies, on the basis only of mere allegations and without due process.
Independent Senator Francis Escudero said he was saddened by recent events.
“I know Senator De Lima to be a fighter and a courageous person who will not let this dampen her spirits. I pray that truth and justice will prevail in her case—whomsoever its face may look favorably upon—and likewise pray for her children as she faces perhaps the toughest battle in her life,” he said.
“I will continue to work with her as a Senator, her incarceration notwithstanding, in crafting meaningful legislation and shedding light on the crimes and shortcomings of abusive and corrupt officials in government,” Escudero added.
The Palace portrayed De Lima’s arrest as the “triumph of the rule of law.”
“The arrest of Senator De Lima shows that the law is enforced regardless of who is the subject of a warrant of arrest whether the person is holding a high position in the government or has an ordinary status in society,” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
“The majesty of the law shines triumphantly when a senator of a republic is arrested and detained on account of a criminal charge. Such is the working of a democracy,” he added.
The Palace also denied it was targeting Duterte’s top critic, even though the President vowed “to destroy her in public” last year.
It’s not political persecution,” Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said.
At the same time, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella appealed to the Church to have faith in the country’s judicial system amid criticism of De Lima’s arrest.
“The court has established probable cause therefore, let us keep our faith in the judicial system. The moral arc is long but it always bends towards justice,” Abella said.
Abella made the remark in response to the call of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Archbishop Socrates Villegas “for justice, not vengeance” following De Lima’s arrest.
“The Muntinlupa RTC has now acted on the case of Senator Leila de Lima. The senator will be treated with fairness and accorded due process. She will have the opportunity to defend herself and prove her innocence,” Duterte’s spokesperson said.