An arrest warrant was issued February 23, for De Lima for an illegal drug trading offense, a non-bailable crime. De Lima said she would not resist arrest and will present herself to the arresting team outside the Senate. / AFP PHOTO / TED ALJIBE
(Eagle News) — The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is now at the Senate, arriving there just before 11 p.m., Thursday to arrest controversial Senator Leila De Lima who would now be arrested anytime between 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Friday.
It was a tension-filled night at the Senate Thursday (February 23) when the CIDG team went to the Senate ready to arrest the lady senator. But an agreement reached later by the CIDG with the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms retired Air Force general Jose Balajadia Jr., said that the arrest was to be made anytime between 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Friday.
It was agreed upon that De Lima should allow the arresting officers to take her into custody by that time.
Balajadia said he would be the one to fetch De Lima at her senate office, and he would then bring her over to the waiting PNP-CIDG team at the Senate basement Friday morning.
“Mabait naman ang taga-CIDG. Naintindihan nila ang sitwasyon,” Balajadia said explaining how the CIDG team understood that the senator needed time to rest and freshen herself before the arrest.
De Lima, who first returned to her Paranaque City home after a press conference Thursday night, returned to the Senate around 10 p.m., hoping to spend the night at her office. She initially claimed she would want to spend the night at her house with her family, but changed her mind upon reaching her home, and decided to go back to the Senate instead. She cried foul upon learning that the CIDG team also went to the Senate, ready to arrest her late Thursday night. She pleaded that she be arrested the next morning when she talked to media reporters who stayed the night at the Senate.
-I will not escape, says De Lima
“What is the difference between tonight and tomorrow morning? Masyadong unusual and to me unjust. Anyway, di naman ako tatakas, puede naman akong arestuhin. (I will not escape, I can be arrested),” she told reporters when she returned to the Senate, thinking that she was going to be arrested that same night.
“Mas delikado ang gabi. Konting respeto naman (It is more dangerous at night. [Please] just a little respect,” the senator added as she expressed apprehension about her safety if she would be arrested that night.
“May arrangement na sa kanila na ganun nga , 8 ng umaga. (There was already an arrangement, [for the arrest to be made] 8 in the morning),” she said when asked by reporters on the earlier deal for her arrest.
“Hindi naman ako magtatago, hindi ako iiwas,” she said when she talked with reporters Thursday night, fearful that she would be arrested that same night.
“Bigla pong nagbago, desisyon po yata ni (PNP chief Director) General (Ronald) dela Rosa,” De Lima added.
But the agreement was that the arrest was to happen between 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. as the CIDG and the Senate Sergeant-at-arms continued their talk last night, giving De Lima a few more hours to stay at the Senate.
The Senate leadership had earlier said De Lima could not be arrested within the Senate.
-Senator to face arresting team outside the Senate
De Lima said she is going to face the arresting team outside the Senate premises.
“I’m here at the Senate and kung gagalangin nila ang Senado bilang institusyon, hindi ho dapat nila pilitin na pumasok dito para arestuhin ako. Kasi saan naman ako pupunta? Hindi naman talaga ako tatago, hindi naman ako aalis. So huwag ho nilang pilitin yan. That would be a disrespect to the Senate. Kaya hintayin lang po nila ako diyan sa labas,” she said.
(I’m here at the Senate and if they will respect the Senate as an institution, they should not force their way in here to arrest me. Because where will I go? I will not hide, I will not leave. So please don’t let them force that [arrest Thursday night inside the Senate office] That would be a disrespect to the Senate. They should just wait for me there outside)
Before that, the arresting team went to De Lima’s home in Paranaque City after reports came out in the media that she returned home to collect her things. But the convoy of the arresting officers found no De Lima there, when they arrived at her Paranaque subdivision, as the senator decided to return to the Senate the same night, instead of spending the night at her home as she had originally said.
The PNP-CIDG team then decided to follow her at the Senate for the purpose of serving her the arrest warrant issued Thursday afternoon by Muntinlupa regional trial court judge Juanita Guerrero of branch 204.
The arrest warrant was for illegal drug trading, a non-bailable offense.
