Manila is not going to buckle down under the
pressure from the senators of the United States of America (USA).
Under the direct order of President Rodrigo Roa
Duterte, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to prevent US Senators Dick Durbin and
Patrick Leahy from entering the country, after the two led the filing of a provision
in the US budget that supports the call to free detained opposition Sen. Leila
de Lima and ban entry to the US of certain Philippine officials serving under
the Duterte administration involved in the filing of cases against her.
“The President is immediately ordering the
Bureau of Immigration to deny US Senators Dick Durbin and Patrick Leahy, the
imperious, uninformed and gullible American legislators who introduced the
subject provision in the US 2020 budget, entry to the Philippines,” Presidential
spokesman and chief Legal adviser Salvador Panelo said.
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| US Senators Dick Durbin and Patrick Leahy are now barred from entering Philippines (photo credit to PhilStar) |
Panelo was informed by President Duterte just
before the weekend.
Spokesman Panelo also slammed the provision
that states senator Leila De Lima was detained for wrongful reasons and that
this was for the persecution of the latter under this administration.
“The case of Senator De Lima is not one of
persecution but of prosecution,” Panelo said.
De Lima has been given due process under
Philippine Laws, as our courts are openly functioning independently.
“In fact, it is
already being heard by our courts. The Philippine Supreme Court, the highest
court of our land, has affirmed the incarceration of Senator De Lima as valid
and lawful,” Atty. Panelo said.
Panelo
reiterated that the Philippines is an independent and sovereign state. “It
stands in parity with all other states, including the US, and any form of pressure
that is tantamount to an interference into its established justice system shall
be reciprocated in accordance with our municipal law, as well as public
international law or the law of nations,” he adds.
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Report from PhilStar
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