Detained Sen. Leila M. de Lima yesterday failed to get outright the reliefs she sought from the Supreme Court on her arrest and detention that arose from the criminal case for illegal drug trading filed against her by the Department of Justice.
After its full court session, the SC decided to require Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Judge Juanita Guerrero and Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa to comment on De Lima’s petition and on her plea for a Temporary Restraining Order within 10 days or until March 10.
The SC set an oral argument on the petition starting at 2 p.m. on March 14.
The SC’s issuance of a TRO could have stopped further proceedings on De Lima’s criminal case and could have lifted immediately the arrest order and free her from detention at the PNP Custodial Center in Quezon City.
With the requirement for comment, De Lima will remain in detention until her plea for a TRO is resolved.
The comment of Guerrero and Dela Rosa is expected to be filed by the Office of the Solicitor General.
In a resolution, the SC said: “The Court directed the respondents to submit their comment to the petition and the application for TRO within a non-extendible period of 10 days from today, or until March 10, 2017. The Court also directed that the petition be heard on oral argument on March 14, 2017 at 2 p.m. at the en banc session hall.”
In Criminal Case No. 17-165 raffled to the sala of Guerrero, De Lima, (former National Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge) Rafael Marcos Z. Ragos, and Ronnie Palisoc Dayan (De Lima’s former driver and bodyguard) were charged with “illegal drug trading in violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Section 5 (sale), in relation to Section 3 (jj) (trading), Section 25 (b), and Section 28, Republic Act No. 9165.”
Ragos has surrendered and has been committed for detention by the trial court at the NBI in Manila. Dayan had been arrested and is detained at the Muntinlupa City jail.
De Lima has two other criminal cases pending with two other branches of the Muntinlupa RTC. (Rey G. Panaligan)