De Lima eyes filing cases vs ex-DOJ chief Aguirre

MANILA (UPDATE) — Former senator Leila De Lima on Wednesday said she was anticipating either an acquittal or dismissal of her remaining drug case after a judge granted her bail petition.

• 'Taste of freedom is precious': De Lima looks forward to 'restoring normal life soon’

Asked about her thoughts on former Palace spokesperson Harry Roque's statement that he expected her remaining case to be dismissed, De Lima said this was based on the framing of the judge's bail decision.

"If you look at it... he (judge) did come up with the conclusion that the evidence of guilt is not strong. He found those testimony... also lacking credibility and that conspiracy was not proven," she said on ANC.

"If anyone has read the bail decision of the honorable judge... he would have the same thinking... He would have that natural conclusion that a dismissal of a case or an acquittal would be a logical conclusion," she said.

"He (Roque) knows that eventually all of these cases would be dismissed. There is only one remaining case and he knows the outcome of this case now."

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The former justice secretary said she was planning to write the book about her incarceration, drawing inspiration from political figures like Nelson Mandela and Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.

"Their heroism is immeasurable. Of course I cannot, I am nobody compared to them. What they have done... the experience they went through, and Ninoy was also incarcerated 7 years. I was detained for almost 7 years," De Lima said.

• De Lima allowed to post bail

"I have been writing my journals every day, I'm writing my journals every evening after praying Angelus so that is my plan, to write a book," she said.

"I have so many recollections, I have so many experiences to share, I have many thoughts. I have many things to share to the world about what was done to me, my ordeal."

Asked how she kept sane after nearly 7 years in detention, De Lima said she had to follow a strict routine.

This involves praying and reading, she said.

"The best weapon is always prayer. Every day, I really prayed, I read the Bible, I had personal reflections, contemplative reading," she said.

"In between rest, in between power naps and resumed reading, resumed writing, I have also been issuing written dispatches, writing letters, writing congratulatory letters, birthday greetings, letter of condolences."

• De Lima camp mulls legal action vs ex-Duterte administration officials

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CASE VS AGUIRRE

Asked if she would pursue a case against former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, De Lima said, "certainly."

• How De Lima, family reacted to getting bail

"It is under discussion with my team. When exactly we would do that, what exactly is the case to be filed against him, that is still being studied," she said.

"For now, the focus of our team is to have this remaining case dismissed. Either on demurrer and/or later if the demurrer is not granted, is to work on my acquittals up to the presentation of the defense evidence," she said.

De Lima's case has seen government witnesses recant their testimonies, saying they had been coerced into implicating her in the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison while she was still the justice secretary under ex-president Benigno Aquino III.

• 'Dapat may managot': Drilon wants those responsible for De Lima's incarceration to be punished

She said some witnesses "manifested their intentions to recant" and had yet to formalize their recantation.

"It is wrong for some people to say that the basis of the grant of my bail now... is the recantation of these witnesses. Nobody among those witnesses presented by the prosecution during the bail hearing has recanted," she said.

"It is just that the new judge... in reviewing thoroughly and scrutinizing the whole records of the case found that there was no sufficient evidence. Found lots of loopholes and inconsistencies and incredibility in the witnesses, in the testimonies of most or all bail witnesses," she said.

AGUIRRE QUESTIONS TIMING OF BAIL GRANT

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Aguirre, meanwhile, said he respected the bail grant for De Lima, but questioned its timing.

"Nirerespeto natin ang desisyon ng husgado. Kaya lang, bakit after almost 7 years bago ito nakita ng judge na mahina pala ang ebidensya? lang tao nang nag-a-attempt si Secretary De Lima na magpiyansa. Bakit noong mga nakaraang tao ay hindi niya nagawa ito?" Aguirre said.

"Parang totoo yung sinabi ni Sen. Bato dela Rosa, alam n’yo dito sa atin sa bansang Pilipinas, ‘pag nagpalit ng administration, yung malakas na kaso ay humihina," he said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.

The cases against De Lima went through a lengthy buildup, he said.

Aguirre also noted that the one of the 3 cases against De Lima was dismissed during the Duterte administration.

"Ibig sabihin noon, ‘pag mahina ang ebidensya mo sa isang kaso, talagang dinismiss. Pinakialaman ba ni Duterte yun? Pinakialaman ko ba yun? Hindi," he said.

Before her arrest in 2017, De Lima had spent a decade investigating "death squad" killings allegedly orchestrated by Duterte during his time as Davao City mayor and in the early days of his 2016-2022 presidency.

She conducted the probes first while serving as the nation's human rights commissioner, then as justice secretary in the Aquino administration.

De Lima won a Senate seat in 2016, becoming one of the body's few opposition voices after Duterte's landslide victory. Duterte then accused her of running a drug trafficking ring.

Campaigning from behind bars, De Lima made a failed bid for re-election to the Senate last year.