De Lima gives pro-admin blogger ‘4 simple steps’ to look for ‘entry ban’ provision

Detained Senator Leila de Lima belied on Saturday claims made by a pro-administration blogger that the US entry ban on Philippine officials involved in her detention was "fake news," even as the legislator said there are four "simple steps" to find the particular provision in the United States 2020 national budget.

On Friday, Facebook blog Thinking Pinoy, which is run by RJ Nieto, posted an entry on the supposed entry ban, claiming it "should be the biggest fake news story of 2019."

According to the post, the provision supposedly under the United States Fiscal Year 2020 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill was non-existent.

"Despite multiple news reports attesting to the existence of such an entry ban, the entire bill did not mention the character strings 'de Lima', 'wrongful', 'imprisonment'," the post read.

"I.e. there is no provision in the signed HR 1865 that contains the text as described in the various Philippine news reports published over the past week," it added.

In response, De Lima slammed Nieto for jumping into conclusions after apparently reading only one document.

"Interpreting US appropriations Law requires more due diligence than just looking at one document and, thereafter, promptly concluding that it does not contain the provision banning my persecutors from entry into the US," the lawmaker said.

De Lima said the operations of the US Federal Government are "very broad and complex" and that preparing for its budget "will be more complicated" than what is done in the Philippines.

"In this case, the US Congress passed a large, single appropriations bill called an 'omnibus bill,' in which the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations (SFOPs) language is included. The Final Bill is what you have presumably browsed," she said.

De Lima explained that the omnibus bill includes by reference the "Final Explanatory Statement," which makes reference to accompanying guiding reports.

The senator added that the first page of the Explanatory Statement states that unless specifically negated, the "Report language" originally included in the House and Senate SFOPs bill remains in force.

She said it is in the Senate SFOPs bill report language that the entry ban provision could be found and remains in force because it was not specifically negate in the Explanatory Report.

With all these in mind, De Lima then gave Nieto a "simple" step-by-step guide to locate what he was looking for:

Step 1. Look at the Final Bill, which refers to the Explanatory Statement.

Step 2. Now, look at the Explanatory Statement, which makes reference to the House and Senate SFOPs bill Reports.

Step 3. Look at the Senate SFOPs bill Report, specifically top of page 93. There you will see what you are looking for. It’s the “Prohibition on Entry” provision which specifically mentions, and made applicable to, my situation.

Step 4. Go back to the Explanatory Statement and ask yourself—does it specifically negate the language you found on page 93? You will see that it does not.

"Therefore, the entry ban is in effect. In short, it’s not fake news," De Lima said. — MDM, GMA News