Latest news with #DeLima
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Diokno, De Lima point out SONA hits and misses
Akbayan Representative Chel Diokno and ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima on Monday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) should have included issues that tackle accountability among public officials. 'Unang-una, sa issue ng accountability, nandyan 'yung pagbabalik natin sa ICC (International Criminal Court). Nandyan 'yung pagpapanagot sa likod ng mga EJK (extrajudicial killings) nung nakaraan,' Diokno said in an ambush interview following Marcos' speech. (First of all, on the issue of accountability, there is our return to the ICC. There is the holding accountable of those behind the EJKs in the past.) 'Nandyan 'yung issue sa corruption na hanggang ngayon ay wala pa rin tayong nakikitang konkretong mga hakbang na parusahan ang mga nasa likod ng iba't ibang sindikato at iba't ibang malalaking kompanya,' he added. (There is the issue of corruption, which until now we still haven't seen concrete steps to punish those behind the various syndicates and major companies.) Diokno was referring to the ICC case of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested last March, for crimes against humanity over his administration's war on drugs. Asked how he will rate this year's SONA, Diokno said they will give an 'incomplete' grade. ML party-list Rep. De Lima opined that President Marcos should have addressed the Supreme Court decision junking the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. 'I just wished he could have spoken about accountability because of the decision of the Supreme Court. He could have said something about how significant is accountability in our Constitution,' de Lima said after the SONA. 'Maybe the President is just being careful about it. [But] without necessarily taking issue with the SC decision, he could have stressed the importance of accountability,' de Lima added. In a separate interview, De Lima's fellow former impeachment prosecutor and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Arnan Panaligan said there are other ways to exact accountability outside of the Supreme Court decision and the SONA. 'Maybe the President is just allowing other independent government agencies, like the one will stop the Ombudsman if it wants to conduct an investigation [on a public official],' Panaligan said. 'The Ombudsman is an independent body and are free to investigate government officials. So there is no inconsistency concerning the President not mentioning the impeachment while he calls for accountability,' Panaligan added. In his speech, Marcos tackled issues related to the sports, economy, education, the missing sabungeros, water service interruptions, and flood control projects. He warned that government personnel who steal public funds, such as those for flood control projects, will be dealt with under the law as various parts of the country suffer from inclement weather. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
15-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
DOJ prosecutors ask Muntinlupa court to reconsider De Lima acquittal
Department of Justice prosecutors asked a Muntinlupa court to overturn its ruling that upheld the acquittal of Mamamayang Liberal Representative Leila de Lima and her former driver Ronnie Dayan in a drug-related case. The prosecutors said in their motion for reconsideration that De Lima and Dayan should be found guilty of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading, adding that the Court of Appeals' directive for the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204 to justify its decision was ''not complied with.'' In the revised decision dated June 27, Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara insisted that the recantation of former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos' testimony on De Lima and Dayan's involvement in the illegal drug trade was ''sufficient basis for the RTC to uphold the constitutionally guaranteed presumption of innocence.'' Ragos had claimed that he and aide Jovencio Ablen Jr. delivered P10 million in proceeds from the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison to then-justice secretary De Lima's house in Parañaque City in November and December 2012. In 2022, Ragos retracted his testimony against De Lima. 'However, the Honorable Court failed to disprove the voluntariness and veracity, nay, even consider, the earlier testimony given by witness Ragos in open court and in other venues, including the surrounding circumstances thereof, which the prosecution duly established by sufficient evidence,'' the motion said. ''Simply put, there was no comparison made between the original statement of witness Ragos and his retracted statement, and [no] explanation why the latter should be believed.'' Ragos' original testimony, the prosecutors said, was ''corroborated on all material points by the other witnesses,'' particularly on the two deliveries of P5 million to De Lima and Dayan at her residence and the source of the money. ''The corroborative and uncontroverted testimony of Ablen still stands,'' the prosecutors said. They also cited the statements of several Bilibid inmates regarding the raising of funds for De Lima's Senate candidacy, as well as those of Reynaldo Esmeralda, to whom Ablen allegedly recounted the money delivery incident. 'To set aside a testimony [that] was solemnly taken before a court of justice in an open and free trial and under conditions precisely sought to discourage and forestall falsehood simply because one of the witnesses who had given testimony later on changed his mind would simply make a mockery of our criminal justice system,' the prosecutors said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
14-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
De Lima seeks tougher penalties for espionage
Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Representative Leila de Lima on Monday sought tougher measures against those found spying by increasing the jail term of violators to up to 20 years and the penalties to up to P20 million. House Bill No. 1844 or the proposed Anti-Espionage Act aims to amend Article 117 of the Revised Penal Code on penalties for espionage, which currently provides for six months to six years of imprisonment. The bill states that espionage is committed under the following circumstances: -enters or aids or induces another to enter a warship, fort, or naval or military establishment or reservation or facility or camp or installation, to obtain any information, plans, photographs, or other data whether of a confidential nature or not relative to the defense or security of the Philippine archipelago, or to military training or equipment of the Armed Forces of the discloses their contents to a representative of a foreign nation, foreign national or to criminal indicates or elements to the disadvantage of the Philippines -obtains, receives, gathers, passes, or causes to be obtained, received, gathered, passed, or attempts to obtain, receive, gather, or pass, in any place in the Philippines, information or data concerning any vessel, aircraft, naval station, military camp or installations or facilities, work of defense, military training or equipment, communications equipment or facilities, or other information or data connected with or relative to national defense or security for the purpose of disclosing such information or data to a foreign nation or its representative, or to a foreign national or organization -lawfully or unlawfully having possession of the information or data referred to in the preceding paragraphs willfully communicates, transmits, or attempts to communicate or transmit the same to any person not entitled to receive it De Lima, a former senator, said current laws are not enough to respond to the threats to the country's national security and sovereignty. 'Other threats to our national security, such as the continued harassments and aggressions of China in the West Philippine Sea, the influx of Chinese students in areas near our country's military bases, and the emergence of online gaming hubs operated by Chinese workers located near our military and police camps demand that our security agencies be given all the necessary resources to go after spies operating in the Philippines, especially in areas around our most sensitive defense installations,' she said. De Lima cited the case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, who turned out to be a Chinese citizen but was able to get elected in public office even if running for public office requires Filipino citizenship. Likewise, Guo is being accused of being involved in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO)-related crimes within the town. Likewise, the former Justice chief cited the arrest of a Chinese citizen and two Filipino accomplices arrested for reportedly gathering sensitive data around military facilities and vital infrastructures in January, as well as the arrest of five more suspected Chinese spies who were allegedly monitoring Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy activities in Palawan, including the resupply of troops in the West Philippine Sea. De Lima also said the Department of Information and Communications Technology revealed in April 2024 that suspected Chinese companies pretending to be American or European businesses were recruiting active and former Armed Forces of the Philippines members. 'Clearly, there is a dire need to put an end to all kinds of espionage to protect our national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interest,' she said.—Llanesca Panti/LDF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
13-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
De Lima ' very concerned' over SC order to Congress on VP Sara impeachment
Mamamayang Liberal party-list Representative Leila de Lima on Sunday raised her concern over the Supreme Court's (SC) directive to Congress regarding the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. 'Pwede 'yang gawing dahilan ng Senado, na out of judicial courtesy sa Supreme Court, para hindi maging moot and academic ang mga issue raised in those 2 petitions, hindi muna sila gagalaw at hihintayin ang final resolution ng mga petisyon na 'yan,' De Lima told Super Radyo dzBB. (The Senate can use it, out of judicial courtesy to the Supreme Court, to hold off the impeachment, so that the issues raised in those two petitions would not become moot and academic.) De Lima said the impeachment trial should proceed since Duterte submitted her answer ad cautelam in compliance with the Senate impeachment court order. 'Doon sa mga hinihingi (ng SC), halos wala sa Senado, more sa Kamara (the SC asked more from the House of Representatives than from the Senate). I am very concerned about that,' De Lima said. The move, De Lima said, seemingly shows that the SC is questioning the process of the House. 'Hindi kaya sumobra ang pakikialam ng Korte Suprema sa proseso ng impeachment, na nangaling sa House of Representatives?,' the lawmaker said. (Could the Supreme Court be overstepping by interfering in the impeachment process, which came from the House of Representatives?) The SC has required the House of Representatives to comment and submit information regarding Duterte's impeachment, particularly the status of the first three impeachment complaints and the basis and authority of the secretary general to refuse the transmittal of the complaint. The high court asked whether the members of the House had the time to peruse the charges and evidence on the articles before affixing their consent, and whether it was included in the order of business of the House of Representatives for consideration of the plenary. Meanwhile, the Senate was asked to provide which committee prepared the draft of the articles of impeachment and when it was completed, and if Duterte was given the opportunity to be heard. De Lima, a former senator and justice secretary, believes that the impeachment complaint did not violate the one-year bar rule of filing an impeachment case. 'I think malinaw yun na hindi lumabag. Pwedeng lunabag kung halimbawa, yung first complaint ay ni-forward agad sa Speaker (of the House), linagay agad sa order of business and ni-refer sa justice committee, so yung mga susunod na complaints, hindi na pwede,' De Lima explained. (I think it's clear that there was no violation. There was a violation if, for example, the first complaint had been immediately forwarded to the Speaker, placed on the order of business, and referred to the justice committee, so any subsequent complaints would no longer be allowed.) The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, but the Senate impeachment court voted last June 10 to return the Articles of Impeachment without dismissing or terminating the case. The House has submitted the first certification confirming its compliance with the one-year ban on impeachment complaints and with the Constitution, but the House 20th Congress has yet to submit the second certification concerning its willingness to prosecute. Duterte has entered a 'not guilty' plea in the verified impeachment complaint filed against her by the House of Representatives. The Vice President denied allegations against her, which include bribery, corruption, betrayal of public trust, misuse of confidential funds, contracting an assassin, and political destabilization. — RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
10-07-2025
- Health
- GMA Network
De Lima seeks probe into PhilHealth's unpaid hospital claims
A congressional investigation into the unpaid Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) claims in several private hospitals has been proposed in the House of Representatives. Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Representative Leila de Lima made the call under her House Resolution 46 amid the decision of some private hospitals to refuse honoring guarantee letters funded under the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program. The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) earlier reported that 43 hospitals in Batangas have been awaiting payment for claims amounting to over P530 million, including one with receivables as high as P94 million. 'This has been a perennial issue that should urgently be addressed once and for all. It burdens patients and their families with additional fear if they could get assistance from the government in medical expenses,' de Lima said. 'Nangangamba na sila sa sakit, nangangamba pa sila sa mataas na gastusin sa ospital. Filipinos' right to access urgent medical care should not be denied just because they cannot afford to pay hospital bills, or because of the lack of trust of private hospitals that the government will pay them,' she added. (The patients and their families are already fearing the high cost of medical bills.) De Lima then urged the government to provide and implement clear mechanisms, including speedy and inexpensive remedies, to promptly settle unpaid claims in hospitals that affect their ability to render quality and efficient healthcare services to prevent closures and instances of hospitals stopping to accept guarantee letters from indigent patients. The inquiry, de Lima said, will cover the existing government policies regarding payment of unsettled hospital bills and identify any gaps that cause delay in payment to expeditiously address them. 'These unpaid debts affect hospitals' financial stability and operating expenses, including salaries for healthcare professionals and staff. Nakakabahala ito dahil apektado nito ang kanilang operasyon at serbisyo. Paano natin matutupad ang layunin ng Universal Health Care Law kung paulit-ulit na lang ang ganitong problema?' De Lima said. (This situation is already alarming because how can we implement the Universal HealthCare law if this problem is yet to be addressed.) 'We need to get to the bottom of this to protect the rights of patients and their families, and ensure that the government fulfill its duty to pay its obligation to hospitals and clinics over unsettled bills,' she added. The 2025 P6.352 trillion national budget allocated zero allocation for government subsidy for PhilHealth due to the state-run insurance's inability to use its huge amounts of existing budget. MAIFIP, on the other hand, is a program under the Department of Health (DOH) which provides financial assistance to indigent Filipinos on healthcare expenses. The 2025 national budget earmarked P41.15 billion has been allocated for the program. — BM, GMA Integrated News
