He thanked PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa for allowing him to visit De Lima despite limited access to foreigners who would want to check on the condition of the senator, who is a fierce critic of President Rodrigo Duterte. ADVERTISEMENT“My task is to ensure at least to report whether a fair trial is taking place and whether she is being treated according to law,” Trowell told reporters in an interview. “The government has shown common sense about this, and understand that when you deny access it is unfair. In 2017, the Supreme Court junked De Lima’s petition for her release as well as for the dismissal of the drug charges filed against her. In April 2019, IPU named De Lima as among the 187 “persecuted members of parliament worldwide,” and said the Philippine government should “drop all politically-motivated charges against De Lima.”Edited by KGARead NextEDITORS' PICKMOST READ

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer January 23, 2020 08:03 UTC