The Department of Justice on Wednesday denounced the adoption by the United States’ Senate committee on foreign relations of a resolution calling on the Philippine government to release from jail Senator Leila de Lima and the dropping of charges against her and Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra described the US Senate resolution as “trash” and “interference” and has no weight in the cases that are pending before the courts against De Lima and Ressa.
“That is trash. That is non-existent as far as we are concerned,” Guevarra said, in a text message.
Guevarra made the statement after the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations passed Resolution no. 142 that called on the Philippine government to drop all charges against De Lima and Ressa.
It also called for De Lima’s release from her detention and to allow her to fully discharge her legislative mandate, especially as chairperson of the Senate’s Committee on Social Justice.