A symposium titled “Weaponization of Justice: Skirting the Line Between Human Rights and Compelling State Interest," featuring former Senator Atty. Leila de Lima as the guest speaker, was organized by the UPV SCINTILLA JVRIS Fraternity and the UP STELLA JURIS Sorority on August 28, 2024 at the Auditorium, UP Visayas, Iloilo City.
Atty. Bernardo Dofitas Jr., president of the UPV SJ Fraternity Alumni Association, welcomed the guest speaker as well as students from UPV, Ateneo de Iloilo, and the University of San Agustin College of Law, along with friends from the media. In his opening remarks, Atty. Dofitas stated that in UP Visayas, truth is nurtured, understood, learned, and discussed to foster a greater understanding of the future.
Atty. de Lima mentioned at the beginning of her lecture that the presentation is very personal to her. After eight months of being in office as a senator, she experienced the clash between state interest and human rights firsthand as a victim. She was arrested and imprisoned by the Duterte regime on trumped-up charges and fabricated testimonies. Atty. de Lima considers herself a victim of the drug war, having been falsely imprisoned based on planted and manufactured evidence suggesting her involvement in illegal drugs.
During the lecture, Atty. de Lima emphasized that it is the court’s duty, not the police’s, to determine guilt or innocence. She stated that in the absence of a trial, everyone is presumed innocent and that suspicion alone does not equate to guilt. Even if someone is proven guilty, they cannot be executed as the death penalty has been abolished.
Ending her lecture, she asserted that only one thing stands between the strong arm of the state and the citizens: the rule of law. This rule can only prevail if people demand it from the state and collectively fight for their own rights and the rights of others.
During the open forum, Atty. de Lima entertained questions from the audience on topics such as fighting for human rights, maintaining faith in the rule of law, and her plans for the future from the audience. She was joined by Rev. Msgr. Meliton B. Oso, Director of the Jaro Archdiocesan Social Action Center (JASAC), and Mr. Mark Vincent Nogra, a faculty member at West Visayas State University and an incoming second-year student at the UP College of Law extension in Iloilo.
Msgr. Oso asked Atty. de Lima how prayer had helped her during her adversity. Atty. de Lima responded that praying and reading the Bible had become a central part of her routine. She spent hours in prayer and meditation to keep herself company. Although she never doubted her eventual freedom, she consistently trusted in the Lord’s timing and purpose.
Atty. de Lima has held various government positions, including Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (2008-2010), Secretary of the Department of Justice (2010-2015) under President Benigno S. Aquino III, and Senator (2016-2022). During her time in the Senate, she chaired the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights and the Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation, where she questioned the legitimacy of the war on drugs.