(Eagle News) — Opposition senators on Thursday, Aug. 23, urged the Supreme Court to allow detained Senator Leila de Lima to participate in oral arguments on the petition against the Philippines’ planned withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, but this time, via an audio feed or live video from jail.
Senators Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, De Lima, Risa Hontiveros, and Antonio Trillanes IV made the request in a seven-page motion for reconsideration of the SC’s decision to deny De Lima’s participation in the oral arguments slated later this month.
The opposition senators are De Lima’s co-petitioners in the ICC petition.
According to the opposition senators, they could supply the equipment needed for the setup,which they said would “address the Honorable Court’s apparent concerns regarding Senator De Lima’s current detention.”
“The right to speak for one’s self in one’s own case is a fundamental right protected by the 1987 Constitution,” they said.
“It would be the height or irony to prohibit Senator De Lima to argue on a constitutional issue of paramount national importance, given that the Honorable Court has allowed furloughs to persons charged with non-bailable offenses,” they added.
https://youtu.be/zhNj_0XjkUk
