De Lima says she appreciates Treñas’ admission of past inaction

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Former Senator Leila De Lima, who was wrongfully accused and endured nearly seven years in pre-trial detention, has acknowledged Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas’ admission of past inaction as a sign of remorse.

“[Treñas] said that at the time they could not do anything; to me, that is an expression of remorse, and I appreciate that he said that,” De Lima, who served as an event speaker at a UP Visayas symposium in the city, told Daily Guardian on Wednesday, August 28.

“I just hope that others will also have the same courage to express remorse for what was done to me then,” she added.

Treñas, a former critic who then turned ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, was one of 12 House members who signed House Resolution 105 in 2016, which called for an investigation into De Lima’s alleged involvement in the drug trade at New Bilibid Prison (NBP) during her tenure as Secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The investigation led to the filing of three drug charges against De Lima, which have been widely criticized as politically motivated, especially following her Senate inquiry into extrajudicial killings related to the “war on drugs.”

On June 26, Treñas denied any involvement in the prosecution of the former senator.

“While I was a member of the [House Committee on Justice] at that time, I did not participate in the hearings in the House. I did not agree with the proceedings but could not go against the administration at that time,” Treñas stated, while also welcoming De Lima’s release.

“I know what Sen. De Lima went through. Worse, she was in jail for a very long time. I think she has every right to go after those who filed the cases against her,” he added.

On June 24, De Lima was cleared of all drug charges after the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 206 granted her demurrer, citing the prosecution’s failure to prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The mayor described her acquittal as “a clear manifestation that the courts of justice are working in the Philippines.”