Vindication just the first step

Supporters of former senator Leila de Lima had always believed that the truth will set her free, and Monday’s court ruling proved them right. Finally, after almost seven years of unjust detention, a drawn-out trial that saw a turnover of seven judges, security lapses that resulted in De Lima being taken hostage while in police custody, and prosecution witnesses recanting their testimonies one after the other, the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 threw out the third drug-related case filed against the opposition figure by the Duterte administration.

Judge Gener Gito’s dismissal of the charges against De Lima “for failure of the Prosecution to prove the guilt of all … beyond reasonable doubt,” confirmed what many had suspected all along: that the charges were political payback for the former chair of the human rights commission’s investigation of drug-related killings under then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

In February 2017, De Lima was charged with, and arrested for allegedly conspiring with felons to conduct illegal drug trading inside the National Bilibid Prison to raise funds for her senatorial bid. Prior to her detention, the House conducted a vulgar hearing on De Lima’s alleged sex video with her driver that purportedly showed her lack of moral qualification for public office.

If anything, De Lima’s ordeal proved true Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous words: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

‘Victory for justice’

Indeed, with Duterte out of office in 2022, witnesses against De Lima found enough courage to disclose how they were coerced and threatened by Duterte officials to give false testimonies, with Duterte justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre among them. The series of recantations eventually led to the dismissal of the first two drug cases against De Lima in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

De Lima’s acquittal was hailed as a “victory for justice” by European Union Ambassador Luc Veron, while the United States said it “welcomed” the dismissal of the “politically motivated criminal charges.” News of De Lima’s freedom prompted Canadian Ambassador to Manila David Hartman to note that “[t]ransparency, evidence, and independence of the judiciary are essential to our democratic systems of justice.” The Australian and French ambassadors to Manila similarly expressed elation at the ruling, as did Montse Ferrer of Amnesty International.

While exulting at De Lima’s newfound freedom and lauding her “indomitable spirit,” fellow Liberal Party member and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman twitted the circuitous court system, noting that “justice inordinately delayed brutalizes the rule of law.”

Calls for accountability

Amid the jubilation, De Lima said Duterte would be held responsible for “sins committed” against Filipinos, and vowed to go after those who had conspired to detain her on perjured testimonies of drug felons. And rightly so.

As Sen. Risa Hontiveros noted, “Justice for former senator Leila will be completed when the sinister plot to put her in jail only for speaking out for the truth and welfare of our fellow Filipinos is fully exposed in daylight.” She added that “[f]alse charges compromise not only the accused’s reputation but also the integrity of our legal system.”

Already, calls for accountability for those who had orchestrated the trumped-up charges and ignored due process amid the drug war are gaining ground, with Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. inviting Duterte and his former police chief, now senator, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to a House hearing on the extrajudicial killings of drug suspects during the previous administration. Could a call from the International Criminal Court follow soon enough? As in the De Lima case, the Marcos administration should let this Court decide based on evidence.

Unjust detention

Indeed, Monday’s welcome ruling is just the initial step to full justice, given how De Lima’s unjust detention had wasted the six years’ mandate given her by voters to draw up laws and oversee the executive branch. Shouldn’t government officials who had toyed with the legal system for political vendetta be charged with obstruction of justice? What about those House representatives who had slandered De Lima and those who had produced the fake sex video that made the rounds on social media? Should they be allowed to go scot-free despite using their position to stifle dissent—and at taxpayers’ expense?

Full justice means going after those who had weaponized the law and bastardized the country’s justice system. As Tindig Pilipinas noted, “It is imperative that we fortify our institutions against future abuses [to] ensure that no one else suffers the same fate as Senator De Lima.”

In fact, as ACT party list Rep. France Castro pointed out, De Lima’s acquittal “should prompt a thorough review of all cases related to the previous administration’s drug war. How many more innocent individuals are still detained based on manufactured evidence and coerced testimonies?”

It’s a solid second step that the government should seriously consider.