De Lima: Bato’s US visa likely revoked due to law imposing visa ban on human rights violators

The cancellation of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa's US visa may have been based on a lawdifferent from the provision in the US federal budget that calls for sanctions against those involved in Senator Leila De Lima's "wrongful imprisonment," the detained lawmaker in question said.

In a statement on Tuesday, De Lima said that "rumors" of the cancellation of Dela Rosa's visa had been floating around before the US federal budget was signed into law in December.

The US Fiscal Year 2020 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act contained a provision stating that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shall apply prohibition on entry to foreign government officials whom he “has credible information have been involved in the wrongful imprisonment of” De Lima.

This means that the rumors had also already been circulating before the US Senate approved Senate Resolution 142, which calls for the imposition of Global Magnitsky sanctions on those who "orchestrated" De Lima's detention.

S. Res. 142 was approved in the US Senate only earlier this month.

"Hence, the recent US legislative measures relating to my persecution and continued detention could not have been the basis for Sen. Bato’s visa problems," she said.

ARIA

De Lima said that the reason behind Dela Rosa's current "first world woes" may be the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA), which was signed into law in December 2018.

ARIA aims to "develop a long-term strategic vision and a comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States policy for the Indo-Pacific region"—the US term for the Asia Pacific— and has "a fundamental interest in defending human rights and promoting the rule of law" in the said region.

Section 407 (a) of the law states, "It is the sense of Congress that the President should impose targeted financial penalties and visa ban sanctions, in accordance with applicable law and other relevant authorities, on any individual or entity that -- (1) violates human rights or religious freedoms; or (2) engages in censorship activities."

ARIA specifically mentions the Philippines, with its "disturbing reports of extra-judicial killings," as one of the places where "unacceptable human rights developments" have occurred.

In other words, said De Lima, Dela Rosa "was tragically deprived of the privilege to watch a boxing match in Las Vegas live [in July 2019] because of the poor Filipinos he had helped deprive of life and justice."

De Lima, a vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration, has been in detention on allegations that she was involved in the drug trade at the New Bilibid Prisons while she was Justice secretary. She has denied the accusations.

Next month will mark her third year in incarceration.

Thousands have been killed in the Duterte administration's anti-drugs campaign,  carried out mainly by the Philippine National Police. Dela Rosa, a staunch and longtime ally of the President, was PNP chief from the start of Duterte's term in July 2016 until April 2018. Last year he won a seat in the Senate.  

Duterte has threatened to repeal the Visiting Forces Agreement between the US and the Philippines due to the revocation of Dela Rosa's US visa. — BM, GMA News