De Lima’s camp hoping bail petition will be resolved before June hearing

The camp of former Senator Leila de Lima on Monday is hoping that her bail petition before a Muntinlupa court will be resolved before the next hearing.

According to De Lima's lawyer Atty. Filibon Tacardon, the Muntinlupa court will first rule on the prosecution’s formal offer of evidence before tackling the bail petition.

“We’re hoping it will not be months,” Tacardon said when asked if De Lima would still be in jail in the next few months.

“Hopefully...  ma-resolve ‘yung petition for bail bago ‘yung susunod naming hearing na naka-set sa June,” he added.

(Hopefully, the bail petition will be resolved before the next hearing set in June.)

Tacardon said the next hearing at the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256 is on June 5.

WATCH: Detained former Senator Leila de Lima arrives at the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256 to attend the hearing in one of her remaining drug cases. De Lima says she’s filled with hope and optimism @gmanews pic.twitter.com/1iS8z3CpHQ

— Joahna Lei Casilao (@joahnacasilao) May 8, 2023

According to Tacardon, the Muntinlupa court must first rule on the prosecution’s formal evidence before tackling the bail petition.

“Ang sabi ni Judge, after this, ma-rule niya ‘yung formal offer of evidence tsaka niya tatalakayin at pag iisipan ‘yung application for bail ni Senator Leila de Lima,” Tacardon said.

(The Judge said that he would think about Senator Leila de Lima’s application for bail after he rules on the formal offer of evidence.)

During the hearing, the lawyer said they had resolved discrepancies in the offer of evidence.

“Inamin naman ng prosecution na sila ay nagkamali sa pag ma-mark ng ilang ebidensya at hindi naman ‘yun sinadya. Nakita naman namin sa transcript na talagang meron lang kaonting discrepancies,” Tacardon said.

(The prosecution admitted that they marked some evidence wrong and this was not done on purpose. We saw in the transcript that there were some discrepancies.)

Meanwhile, Tacardon said that De Lima would continue to be detained even if she would be acquitted on her other drug case before the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 on May 12.

“Kung sakali man, kung sakali man na maging paborable ang desisyon sa May 12, hindi pa muna siya makakalabas at hihintayin natin ma resolba ng hukuman ‘yung aming application for bail,” Tacardon said.

(If ever the decision of the court is favorable on May 12, she still cannot go free because we need to wait for the Court’s ruling on her application for bail.)

“Kapag ito’y na-resolba, assuming na resolba in favor of Senator Leila, tsaka lang siya— tsaka lang pwedeng masabi na lalaya na siya,” he added.

(If this is resolved, assuming that it will be resolved in the favor of Senator Leila, it’s only then that we can say that she will go free.)

He said the former senator asked the public to join her in praying.

“Ang gusto niya lang iparating sa ating mga kababayan ay samahan natin siya sa pagdarasal, yun nga, dahil ang kanyang dasal ay manaig ang katarungan at katotohanan sa mga kasong isinampa sa kanya,” Tacardon said.

(All she asks of the public is to join her in praying because she is praying for justice and truth to prevail on the charges against her.) —NB, GMA Integrated News