(SunStar) ARMED with a court order, a United States (US) delegation of lawmakers visited on Friday, August 19, 2022, detained former senator Leila de Lima at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame.
Two Muntinlupa courts, which handle De Lima’s illegal drug charges, issued permits to the US delegation provided that there would be no audio or video recording during the visit.
The visit was supposed to be on Thursday, August 18, but the PNP denied their entry without permission from the concerned courts.
The PNP said they are only allowed to visit detentions but talking to or interviewing detainees are different matters.
The US delegation is composed of US Senator Edward Markey, US Congressman Alan Lowenthal, John Garamendi, Don Beyer, Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen and US Ambassador to the Philippines Marykay Carlson.
As of Friday afternoon, either of the parties has yet to disclose what was discussed during the visit.
Several US senators, including Markey, earlier called for the release of De Lima after some of the key witnesses on her case retracted their allegations against her.
De Lima has been detained in Camp Crame since 2017, months after she sought a Senate probe on the alleged extrajudicial killings amid the Duterte administration’s drug war… Read More
