Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima on Tuesday rejected comparisons between her detention as a senator and the attempt to arrest Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, including the proposal to allow remote participation in the Senate
In a social media post, De Lima criticized the use of her experience to justify allowing senators to participate and vote remotely.
“How convenient it is for some people to use me or what I went through whenever it serves their purpose or agenda,” De Lima said.
“Even if it is fake news, even if what happened to me was entirely different, they will still force it to fit their narrative,” she added.
De Lima was referring to the time in 2017 when then minority senators Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, Panfilo Lacson and Ralph Recto filed proposals to allow her to perform her legislative duties remotely while she was in detention on drug-related charges.
Different case
The issue resurfaced after Sen. Rodante Marcoleta last Tuesday proposed an amendment to the Senate rules to allow remote participation, a move viewed by some lawmakers as intended to accommodate Dela Rosa, who is in hiding from an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
De Lima stressed that her case was different because she voluntarily faced the authorities.
“At first, they said that I did not allow myself to be arrested in the Senate premises. That is a clear lie because it was at the Senate where I peacefully faced the authorities and allowed myself to be arrested,” she said.
“I did not seek refuge in the Senate, I did not create chaos, I did not flee, and most importantly, I did not endanger the lives of many people,” she added.
De Lima noted that despite what she described as her “unjust incarceration,” no changes were made to the Senate rules to accommodate her.
“Those who say that what I went through is the same as that of the person they want to accommodate now should be ashamed of themselves,” she said.