PNP: US lawmakers denied entry to visit De Lima due to lack of court permission

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said the US lawmakers who planned to visit former Senator Leila de Lima were denied entry to the custodial facility because they had no permission from the court.

PNP public information office chief Police Brigadier General Augustus Alba said the foreign delegation led by Senator Edward Markey arrived at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame around 10 a.m.

“Dumating sila (They arrived at the custodial facility). Past 10 o'clock,”  Alba told GMA News Online in a message.

“Umalis sila because they were denied entry nung custodial facility on the basis na walang court order (They left because  they were denied entry by the custodial facility because they do not have a court order),” he added.

In a statement, the PNP earlier said that visitors are prohibited to have direct interaction with any person under police custody in the facility.

The PNP also said it will extend utmost courtesy and assistance to the foreign delegation from the US Senate that will check on De Lima’s conditions at the PNP Custodial Center.

But the PNP added that the visit should be consistent with existing guidelines and procedures on visitorial privileges in the detention facility.

“However, such accommodation excludes direct interaction with any Person Under Police Custody confined in the detention facility, particularly PUPC committed by the Court to PNP custody,” it said.

“Such interaction with any specific PUPC is subject to express permission of the concerned judicial authorities, with due consideration of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in Camp Crame that currently has 15 active cases and one new case as of today,” it added.

In May, Senators Markey, Marco Rubio, Dick Durbin, Marsha Blackburn, Chris Coons, and Patrick Leahy called for the immediate release of De Lima after some key witnesses recanted some allegations against her.

“Clearly, the bogus charges against her were, as we suspected all along, politically-motivated and based on false information. That she has lost five years in jail due to these spurious charges is a travesty,” they said.

“She should be released immediately and any remaining charges should be dropped without further delay,” they added.

De Lima has been detained since February 2017 after the Department of Justice filed three separate cases against her for allegedly abetting the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison from 2010 to 2015.

De Lima has since repeatedly denied the allegations against her.

One of her three cases was dismissed by a Muntinlupa court but the two remaining charges are still pending.

On August 16, De Lima marked the 2000th day of her detention. — RSJ, GMA News