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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) Senator Leila De Lima, one of the staunchest critics of President Rodrigo Duterte, has been in jail since 2017 on allegations she used drug money for her senatorial campaign in 2016, when she was Justice secretary.
But De Lima and human rights groups believe the drug charges against her were fabricated to silence her for investigating the administration s bloody war on drugs. Malacanang has repeatedly denied De Lima s allegations, saying the charges against her are being tried by the country s independent courts.
Last February 17, the detained senator was acquitted in one of her three drug cases. The other two are still pending at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court.
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Dec. 11 The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) provided its inputs to the Philippine Senate’s inquiry on strengthening the protection and conservation of the country s forest cover and waterways to mitigate the effects of natural hazards.
The ACB, an intergovernmental body mandated by the 10 ASEAN Member States to facilitate joint programmes on biodiversity conservation, attended the virtual Senate hearing of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change on 10 December 2020, joining other officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) led by Secretary Roy Cimatu, and representatives from the local government units of Cagayan, Isabela, and Marikina, and from private sector, including the Masungi Georeserve in Marikina.