Palace favors gag order on De Lima case

Palace officials said yesterday it was high time for a gag order on the case of detained Senator Leila de Lima as she allegedly uses its absence to attack the President.

This came after the Department of Justice (DOJ) requested the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) to prohibit all parties from discussing the cases against De Lima in public.

According to Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, De Lima has been using the absence of a gag order to besmirch the reputation of President Duterte.

“Oh yes, because De Lima is using that medium to besmirch the reputation of the President. She cannot do that,” he said over Radyo ng Bayan.

Panelo also agreed that De Lima’s lawyers are conditioning the minds of the public with their re- marks on the senator’s drug cases.

“Eh, ganoon nga ang ginagawa nila. Kaya dapat talaga pabayaan na lang nila ‘yung courts na magtry ng kaso (That’s what they are doing. They should just the let the courts try the cases),” he said.

“Let the judicial process run its course,” he added.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, on the other hand, said DOJ’s request for a gag order was nothing new.

“The sub judice rule is a time-honored doctrine. Should the court grant the motion, we expect all parties to abide by it to preclude any undue pressure to the judge hearing the cases or any influence that may condition the minds of the public on the merits of the case,” Abella said in a text message.

De Lima was arrested on February 24 for her alleged involvement in the illegal drugs trade at the New Bilibid Prison when she was still Justice Secretary.

She is currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame.