De Lima surrenders to authorities over drug charges

A team from the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group on Friday morning served the warrant of arrest issued by a Muntinlupa court on Senator Leila de Lima over drug-related charges.

As agreed with the Senate sergeant-at-arms, De Lima was arrested before 10 a.m. at the Senate. The arresting team arrived within the Senate premises a little before 7 a.m.

The senator turned herself in to authorities past 8 a.m.

Minutes before she faced the arresting team, however, De Lima insisted on her innocence over the drug charges.

“Katulad ng palagi kong sinasabi at inuulit ko po ngayon, inosente po ako, walang katotohanan, pawang kasinungalingan ang mga pinaparatang nila sa akin na ako ay diumano nakinabang sa droga ... tumanggap ng drug money, diumano nag-coddle or nag-protect ng mga drug convicts,” she told reporters.

“Pawang kasinungalingan 'yan. Lalabas ang katotohnan sa tamang panahon,” the senator added.

She said she will continue the fight against the oppressive Duterte administration.

She was then brought to Camp Crame, where she is expected to be detained.

De Lima on Thursday night evaded arrest in her Parañaque City home, saying authorities broke the agreement made by Senate President Koko Pimentel with Interior Sec. Ismael Sueno to serve the warrant on Friday.

De Lima spent the night in her fifth floor office at the Senate, with Israel (one of her children), her staff, and some of her supporters.

"Hindi ko na talaga nakita si Vincent as a matter of fact I haven't seen Vincent since yesterday. Now, its only Israel - Israel decided to go see me at the Senate. He was with me in the Senate for a couple of hours."

In an interview, De Lima's legal spokesman Alex Padilla said they will seek legal remedy "and go to the higher court later today."

Judge Juanita Guerrero of the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 204 ordered the arrest of De Lima for one of the three drug trafficking cases filed by the Department of Justice in relation to her alleged participation in the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison.

Guerrero issued the arrest warrants for De Lima and her co-accused, former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos and her former driver-bodyguard Ronnie Dayan.

Dayan was arrested at his residence in Urbiztondo, Pangasinan on Thursday night. 

He is currently being brought by police to the Muntinlupa City RTC as of posting time.

Cases for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act or Republic Act 9165 are non-bailable. —KG, GMA News