Dispatch from Crame No. 621:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement on Chief Justice Bersamin's recent remarks

10/9/19

The Hon. Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin regards the US Senators' move to ban my oppressors as a "PR tour de force".

No, Sir. It's nothing like that. It's about standing up, in concrete terms, for human rights and accountability. It's a matter of truth and justice. These principles, which are revered in democratic societies like the U.S., are being discarded like garbage by the increasingly authoritarian Duterte regime.

I hope that our functionaries, especially those whose very mandate is to dispense justice in this country and those who directly deal with the diplomatic community, are sensitive and clear-minded enough to appreciate the dimensions and underlying sentiments behind the concerted efforts abroad to stand by me and my causes. It is unfortunate that the Hon. Chief Justice would choose to downplay as a mere PR feat the clear-cut significance of the US Senators' action.

Perhaps, a self-reflection on the part of the institutions with varying roles in facilitating Duterte's vendetta against me, is called for.