By Jonathan Hicap
A Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court has denied the request of detained Sen. Leila de Lima to attend her son’s graduation set on June 3.
In a decision, Judge Amelia Fabros-Corpuz of the RTC Branch 205 said De Lima cannot attend the graduation of her son Vincent Joshua Bohol at San Beda College-Alabang in Muntinlupa due to the gravity of the charges she is facing and that her presence will disrupt the solemnity of the ceremony and endanger security.
De Lima earlier filed a very urgent motion for furlough on May 15 to attend the graduation rites. In denying the motion, the judge said since De Lima is “charged with a crime punishable by life imprisonment, and non-bailable, and more importantly, being charged of a crime punishable by RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, accused De Lima cannot be given a different treatment as that of other prisoners whose liberty is curtailed, pending the final resolution of their criminal cases.”
Fabros-Corpuz also sided with the reasons given by the prosecution in objecting to De Lima’s motion. She said, “De Lima presence in the said Commencement Exercises will disrupt the solemnity of the said occasion not only for the other attendees and parents, but also for her son who will celebrate the momentous occasion.”
