Marcos won't interfere with possible De Lima furlough request: Palace | ABS-CBN

Featured:
|

ADVERTISEMENT

Featured:
|
dpo-dps-seal
Welcome, Kapamilya! We use cookies to improve your browsing experience. Continuing to use this site means you agree to our use of cookies. Tell me more!

Marcos won't interfere with possible De Lima furlough request: Palace

Marcos won't interfere with possible De Lima furlough request: Palace

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Clipboard

Former senator Leila De Lima leaves the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court in Muntinlupa City on June 13, 2022 after appearing for her hearing. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News
Former senator Leila De Lima leaves the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court in Muntinlupa City on June 13, 2022 after appearing for her hearing. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News


MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. "cannot and will not intervene" with the possible request of former Senator Leila De Lima for home furlough after a fellow detainee briefly took her hostage at the national police headquarters, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Office of the Press Secretary officer-in-charge Cheloy Garafil said it was up to the courts to decide on De Lima's possible bid for home furlough.

"Ang mga kaso po ni De Lima nasa korte na," Garafil told Palace reporters.

"Hayaan na lang po natin ang mga abogado niya to make the proper motion. And the President cannot and will not intervene in any case that’s already with the courts," she said.

ADVERTISEMENT

(De Lima's cases are with the court. Let us allow her lawyer to make the proper motion.)

An outspoken critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly drug war, De Lima has been detained at Camp Crame since 2017 on drug trafficking charges.

Since Marcos took power in June, there have been renewed calls from diplomats and rights defenders for de Lima to be released.

"We’ll leave it up to courts to decide if she’s going to be freed based on the evidence or merits of her case," Garafil said.

De Lima's camp on Monday said they were considering applying for home furlough over fears for her safety.

ADVERTISEMENT

On Sunday morning, a police officer handing out breakfast was stabbed with a fork by an inmate, who then freed 2 others from their cells.

Two of the prisoners were shot dead by a sniper. The third prisoner ran to De Lima's cell. He tied up and blindfolded the 63-year-old before a police officer shot him in the head, said the interior department.

Police said the situation inside the detention facility had "returned to normal" and an investigation was underway.

The latest incident underscored the need for her to be "freed immediately", said Carlos Conde of Human Rights Watch.

Marcos tweeted that he would speak to de Lima "to check on her condition and to ask if she wishes to be transferred to another detention center".

ADVERTISEMENT

The lawyer and mother of 2 has been held in a compound for high-profile detainees, rather than one of the Philippines' notoriously overcrowded jails.

— With a report from Agence France-Presse

Watch more News on iWantTFC

Video from PTV

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

It looks like you’re using an ad blocker

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.