Detained Senator Leila De Lima filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for Senate reelection through an authorized representative on Friday, October 8, the last day of filing.
Lawyer Dino de Leon, De Lima’s spokesperson, submitted the senator’s COC on her behalf.
De Lima has been detained in Camp Crame since February 2017 due to alleged drug-related charges but denied them, claiming that it was an attack by President Duterte to silence her as one of his fierce critics. In February 2021, the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 205 dismissed one of the three drug charges filed against her.
The senator was nominated by the Liberal Party as one of its senatorial bets. “I will not let prison and persecution stand in the way of the fight against Duterte’s evil regime,” De Lima said upon accepting the nomination.
“I would have liked it very much to personally file my own Certificate of Candidacy for reelection as Senator of the Republic but, of course, my present situation prevents me from doing so,” De Lima said in a statement.
“Together with VP Leni [Robredo] and under her leadership, I and the other candidates of the Liberal Party and our allies, continue to represent the opposition in this country,” De Lima added.
De Lima was the former Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights from 2008 to 2010 during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. She also served as Justice Secretary from 2010 to 2015 under the Aquino administration.
In 2016, De Lima ran and won a senate seat after garnering 14 million votes.
Photo Credit: Facebook/LeiladeLima
