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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Truth of the matter

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Senator Leila de Lima is finally in detention, but not before a flurry of press conferences, speculation and drama.

After a court issued a warrant for her arrest Thursday, the senator requested that she be allowed to go home, say goodbye to her family, pack her belongings and spend one final night as a free woman. She would come back the following day, she promised. Eventually her request was granted, even as her other request—that her mugshots not be released—was not.

She maintains, however, that it is an honor to be detained as the first political prisoner of the Duterte administration. The senator is facing charges of receiving money from the thriving drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison when she was Justice secretary.

Filipinos are divided on the issue of De Lima’s arrest. Some hail it as some sort of karmic triumph, recalling how De Lima defied the Supreme Court, a little over four years ago, when she stopped an ailing Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from seeking treatment abroad.

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De Lima is also the subject of ridicule for her admission of her years-long relationship with her married driver and bodyguard. The admission elicited some of the most abominable hearings at the House of Representatives, with lawmakers delving into the details of the affair rather than how it facilitated the drug trade in the maximum security compound.

On the other hand, De Lima is portrayed as something short of a martyr, made an example of the fate that befalls those who dare speak out against the President. Many say they are aghast at the hasty order of the court, especially since charges against her stem from the statements of criminals, convicted of deeds involving moral turpitude.

Indeed the past several days have been a circus again, reminiscent of the circuses that accompanied the misfortune of big names who suddenly find themselves charged, arrested and jailed.

The senator has declared the truth will come out in due time, but we know our justice system enough to predict that the case would drag on for years, just as previous cases involving high-profile personalities have been protracted. In time, De Lima will adjust to a new routine as detainee, while the rest of us will be regaled with the next big scandal.

In the meantime, how does all this help in the fight against illegal drugs?

We cannot even tell how much of the case is founded on probable cause and how much is driven by sheer politics. It would be unfortunate in the case of the latter, because that would mean we’ve been had again by people who promise change but work toward keeping things exactly as they are.

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