Several lawmakers and government officials have welcomed the Muntinlupa court’s dismissal of the second drug case filed against former senator Leila de Lima.
In a statement, Liberal Party (LP) President and Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman remarked that “justice is rendered, albeit late.”
“Sen. Leila must be freed on bail in the last case still pending trial,” he said, adding that the former senator deserves complete acquittal and eventual liberty.
Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Rep. France Castro welcomed de Limas’ acquittal, and she expressed her hope that the latter will be freed soon.
“We need her in the front line in the fight against the forces of tyranny and disinformation who are again to trample on the Filipino people's rights,” she said.
Castro asserted that the charges against de Lima were just part of the previous administration’s “tactics of silencing its critics.”
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros, a friend and former running mate of de Lima in the 2022 national polls, also rejoiced at the news.
“The false narrative and web of lies that led to her imprisonment is finally being undone. The real crime has always been her arrest,” she said in a statement.
The Senator stressed that after de Lima’s six long years of endurance in prison, she is owed a speedy acquittal.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the media, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla said that de Lima’s acquittal has signified that “the rule of law has prevailed" and that "democracy is working."
“It just points out to us that the independence of the judiciary is a basic foundation of our democratic system,” he added.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin also commented that the court's decision on the former senator's case meant that "the justice system that's working."
"Si [former] Senator Leila de Lima, that's another victory," he told the media.
On Friday morning, Muntinlupa Branch 204 acquitted de Lima in one of her two remaining illegal drugs charges.
According to de Lima’s legal counsel, Atty. Boni Tacardon, the court found that there’s no positive evidence that proves his client's involvement in the illegal drug trade.
