Have these US senators not even asked for a copy of the court records and, yes, the testimonies of the prisoners from whom she demanded millions? They would have known that De Lima lies, and lies some more!

To paraphrase the teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg: How dare they!

How dare United States (US) senators meddle in the Philippine Regional Trial Courts — and yes, even the Supreme Court — to demand the immediate release of detained Sen. Leila de Lima, who stands accused of illegal drug trading!

And these two senators and their panel believe they can force our courts and yes, even the Philippine President, through an amendment to a bill that seeks the ban of the entry of any Philippine government official involved in the detention of the senator. How dare they?

These senators, who seem to think that the Philippines and its courts of law will cower in fear over the demand to free De Lima with their ban, do have that right to come up with any legislative measure. However, there is no way the Philippines and its present President and administrator, or even the courts of law, will bow to the US senators!

The US Senate must still think that the Philippines and its people are operating under their law, still see our country as their colony, if not a commonwealth under their law, for its members to come up with that demand and even believe that a ban imposed on Philippine government officials, whom they said played a role in the prosecution and detention of De Lima, is more than enough for the Philippines and its courts of law and government officials to give in. The US Senate panel demands the release of De Lima, even referring to her as a political prisoner, when these meddling senators have not even researched or reviewed court records and even De Lima’s claims of political persecution, which these interfering senators even claim that she has “credible evidence!”

Credible evidence from Leila de Lima? What a laugh! What evidence from her can even be assessed as credible, when all she did, and continues doing, is to declare her innocence, which cannot be weighed as “credible evidence, especially when she, as the then Justice chief, persecuted opposition senators, had them charged and detained for some five years and protected allies of her political patron!

Have these US senators not even asked for a copy of the court records and, yes, the testimonies of the prisoners from whom she demanded millions? They would have known that De Lima lies and lies some more!

The Senate panel and statements from even her appointed Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief who testified on his P10 million delivery twice to the residence of De Lima — that is a mark of her innocence?

And it was not only these instances that can prove she was part of the drug trading freely going on during her time as Justice chief. There was the credible testimony of the then Criminal and Detection Group chief now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who came up with Oplan “Cronus,” an operational plan to raid the national penitentiary and stop the drug trading among prisoners.

Magalong certainly gave credible testimonial evidence and even discussed this Oplan with De Lima. Instead, she kept on delaying the raid, and completely excluded Magalong and his team it, getting her own people who had questionable reputations with her leading the raid.

These American officials should ask themselves why De Lima excluded Magalong from the raid and instead brought with her some of the corrupt police, her BuCor chief who delivered drug money to her, and herself from the raid, if not to ensure that none of the hard drives, documents and ledgers that contained all the drug dealing of the prisoners, as well as the names of those on the take and the amounts given.

None of these important items were confiscated and were deliberately not among the declared confiscated items. For Leila and her corrupt raiding team, the only reason she excluded the former Magalong from the raid was to ensure these items, such as ledgers and the names of officials on the take — and for Leila herself, in the tens of millions in drug money that she took from the prisoners. She certainly was not about to take that risk by having Magalong leading his raiding team, and she would have been totally exposed as being on the take in big drug money!

All these moves by Leila and her team were clearly done to ensure that any evidence pointing to her being on the take, and millions at that, would never be used against her. In all probability, she ordered her National Bureau of Investigations to destroy the evidence that would spell doom for her.

In short, Leila tampered with what could have been shown as evidence, as well as her obstructing justice.

And these American senators demand the immediate release of Leila, and on what they claimed “credible” evidence?

How dare they! How dare they think that a ban imposed on any of the Philippine officials who played a role in De Lima’s drug case would make the Philippines and its officials bow to these American senators to get the courts of law to get De Lima, the real political persecutor when she was Justice chief, released!

How dare these American senators meddle in our judiciary and internal affairs of the Philippine government!

How dare they intrude on an independent and sovereign country that does not bow to a meddling America!

How dare these senators even think that their demand to have De Lima released through a ban would be enough for the Philippine courts of law to cower in fear of the ban!