Former Senator Leila de Lima has spoken out following the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, calling it a long-overdue step toward accountability.
“This is deeply personal for me,” De Lima said in a statement, recalling her nearly seven-year imprisonment on what she described as “fabricated charges” after criticizing Duterte’s war on drugs.
De Lima, who was acquitted of all charges in 2023, pointed out that while she was behind bars, “thousands of Filipinos were killed without justice, their families left to grieve with no answers, no accountability.”
Now, with Duterte in custody under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, she asserted that the former president must “answer not to me, but to the victims, to their families, to a world that refuses to forget.”
De Lima rejected any notion of vengeance, stating, “This is about justice finally taking its course.” She emphasized that Duterte must face due process just as she did, “not in the court of public opinion, but before the rule of law.”
Addressing those who have long sought justice, De Lima commended their persistence: “Your voices mattered, your courage mattered, and today, the pursuit of justice continues.”
Duterte was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) upon his return from Hong Kong, following the ICC’s warrant over alleged crimes against humanity related to his administration’s drug war.
