HOWIE SEE IT: A Belated Birthday Wish

By Atty. Howie Calleja

Being jailed since February 2017 for facing three counts of conspiracy to commit drug trading before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court; Sen. Leila De Lima continues to suffer a somewhat lopsided treatment when a group led by former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, was prevented from entering the PNP Custodial Center to partake in her 63rd Birthday Celebration.

In fact, even former Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, lawyer and Constitution framer Christian Monsod and his wife, economics professor Solita Monsod, former Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, former Presidential Management Staff Secretary Julia Abad and former Sen. Mar Roxas (who served as interior secretary and supervised the PNP at one time) were not granted access to De Lima; which when ironically is juxtaposed to former First Lady Imelda Marcos (who was convicted by the Sandigan Bayan) remains free; while Sen. De Lima despite false charges and witnesses recantation and withdraw of testimony (with no conviction) remains in jail without even any visitors allowed (outside her immediate family) even on her special day.

In solidarity with Sen. De Lima as she spends her 6th Birthday in detention; allow me to share a poem I wrote for her with hope that it would somewhat lift up her spirit:

D-ear Sen. Leila, I wish on your Birthday all the best;
E-ven when you seem to be at odds with the rest.
L-iving your life in detention,
I-s an obstacle I know will bring you redemption.
M-any who know and Love You,
A-lways will be here through and through.

I join many fair-minded Filipinos and US Senators Marco Rubio, Ed Markey, Dick Durbin, Marsha Blackburn, Chris Coons, and Patrick Leahy when they stressed that the witnesses’ recent withdrawal of their drug accusations against de Lima “warrant her immediate release. Clearly, the bogus charges against her were, as we suspected all along, politically motivated and based on false information, she (De Lima) should be released immediately and any remaining charges should be dropped without further delay”.

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