Warrant issued yesterday, served to lady legislator this morning; de Lima brought to national police headquarters for booking procedure

  MANILA – Police arrested opposition Senator Leila De Lima this morning after a regional court ordered her apprehension for drug charges filed by the government against her and seven others. The arrest warrant was served by a team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the national police department to de Lima at past 8 a.m. today and then she was brought to the national police headquarters – Camp Crame - for booking procedures. De Lima will be detained at Camp Crame. On the other hand, Ronnie Dayan, de Lima's former driver-bodyguard and lover, was arrested in the northern Philippine province of Pangasinan also this morning and will be brought to Manila to be booked. De Lima spent the night in her office at the Senate instead of going home to supposedly bid goodbye to her family and get her personal belongings. She was already on her way to her house in the suburban city of Paranaque to meet her family and get her belongings when she received word that the arresting team would serve the arrest warrant at her home so she went back to the Senate. De Lima said she asked the CIDG team to serve the arrest warrant at the Senate today instead of last night because she felt "less safe" if she is apprehended at night. She also said she did not want to let her family see her get arrested. In the press conference, an emotional de Lima questioned the issuance yesterday of the arrest warrant by Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 204 judge Juanita Guerrero as she pointed out that her lawyers had filed motions to quash the cases filed against her and a hearing was supposed to be held today. De Lima was accompanied by her fellow Liberal Party (LP) senators Bam Aquino and Francis Pangilinan in the press conference. Judge Guerrero said in the warrant that there was probable cause for the charges filed against de Lima and the other respondents, thus the issuance of the arrest order. De Lima was accused of allegedly tolerating the operation of drug syndicates in the national penitentiary called the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) during her stint as justice secretary from 2010 to 2015 and also for allegedly asking money from drug lords to finance her senatorial campaign in last year's general elections. She has repeatedly denied the charges against her. The case handled by Guerrero was just one of three cases filed by the justice department against de Lima and seven others for violation of the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002. The drug charges are non-bailable and are punishable with life imprisonment. Aside from Dayan, De Lima's other co-respondents are de Lima's nephew Jose Adrian Tiamson Dera, deputy director Rafael Ragos of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayu, Wilfredo Elli – alleged bagman of Bucayu, NBP inmate Jaybee Sebastian, and De Lima's other former bodyguard Joenel Tan Sanchez. De Lima had called the charges as political persecution by the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, whose drug war she has harshly criticized. The Duterte administration launched "Oplan Tokhang" last year to address the illegal drug problem in the country More than 7,000 drug pushers and users have been killed in police operations by the police and by vigilantes. The drug war was also criticized by other countries and international organizations because of human rights violations. "Oplan Tokhan"g was suspended however because of nefarious activities done by rogue policemen who used the anti-illegal drug operations to carry out extortion, kidnapping, and robbery activities.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