Asian Correspondent includes De Lima in list of ‘Power Women of Southeast Asia’

Detained Senator Leila de Lima has been named as among Southeast Asia's "power women" by foreign news website Asian Correspondent.

In a statement, De Lima's office said she was included in the list of Power Women of Southeast Asia, "who continue to inspire people by fighting for their causes and making a difference."

De Lima, who had authored bills and resolutions in the Senate advocating women's rights, is currently detained in a policde camp for her alleged involvement in drug trading activities in the New Bilibid Prison while she was secretary of the Department of Justice during the time of former President Benigno Aquino III.

She is accused of receiving money from suspected drug lords, allegedly for her campaign kitty in the May 2016 elections.

The Asian Correspondent cited De Lima as the "flag-bearer for human rights in the Philippines and beyond."

"A fierce critic of the Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, she has been praised for her continuous fight for the rule of law and dignity of individuals by Liberal International, a global federation of liberal political parties," the website site.

It also cited De Lima's Prize for Freedom Award from the Liberal International.

Asian Correspondent also cited De Lima's inclusion in the list of the Foreign Policy’s 2016 Leading Global Thinkers and Women Human Rights Defenders for 2017 by Amnesty International.

The others included in the list of Power Women of Southeast Asia are Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, Indonesia's Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Mu Sochua of Cambodia and Singapore's Culture, Community and Youth Minister Grace Fu. —ALG, GMA News