Leila de Lima facts for kids
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Leila de Lima
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De Lima in 2016
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| Senator of the Philippines | |
| In office June 30, 2016 – June 30, 2022 |
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| Chair of the Senate Electoral Reforms and People's Participation Committee | |
| In office July 25, 2016 – July 24, 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Koko Pimentel |
| Succeeded by | Koko Pimentel |
| Chair of the Senate Justice and Human Rights Committee | |
| In office July 25, 2016 – September 19, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Koko Pimentel |
| Succeeded by | Dick Gordon |
| 56th Secretary of Justice | |
| In office June 30, 2010 – October 12, 2015 |
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| President | Benigno Aquino III |
| Preceded by | Alberto Agra (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa (acting) |
| Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights | |
| In office May 2008 – June 30, 2010 |
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| President | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| Preceded by | Purificacion Quisumbing |
| Succeeded by | Etta Rosales |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Leila Norma Eulalia Josefa Magistrado de Lima
August 27, 1959 Iriga, Camarines Sur, Philippines |
| Political party | Liberal (2015–present) Mamamayang Liberal (2024–present) (partylist) |
| Other political affiliations |
Independent (2010–2015) Aksyon (2001–2010) |
| Spouse | Pláridel Bohol (annulled) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Lilia de Lima (aunt) Julie de Lima (aunt) |
| Alma mater | De La Salle University (AB) San Beda University (LL.B) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Leila Norma Eulalia Josefa Magistrado de Lima (born August 27, 1959) is a Filipina politician, lawyer, human rights activist and law professor who previously served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She was the chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights from 2008 to 2010, before serving in President Benigno Aquino III's cabinet as Secretary of Justice from 2010 to 2015.
Known as a vocal critic of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, she was arrested in 2017. Later that year, she was awarded the Prize for Freedom by the Liberal International. She was held in pretrial detention until November 13, 2023, although she served out her remaining term as senator and filed legislation while held.
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Early life
De Lima is the eldest daughter of former Philippine Commission on Elections commissioner Vicente de Lima and Norma Magistrado. She was born and raised in Iriga, Camarines Sur in Bicol.
De Lima completed her basic education, graduating as class valedictorian. She graduated in 1980 from the De La Salle University with an AB History degree. She finished her Bachelor of Laws (Salutatorian) degree at the San Beda College of Law in 1985. She placed 8th in the 1985 Philippine Bar Examinations with an 86.26% bar rating.
Career
De Lima began her career as a staff member of Supreme Court Associate Justice Isagani Cruz from 1986 to 1989. She subsequently entered private practice in the 1990s, specializing in election law. She also taught law at San Beda College of Law from 1986 to 1994 and from 2006 to 2007 and worked as secretary of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal from 1993 to 1995.
Human rights commissioner (2008–2010)
Leila de Lima was appointed as the Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, serving from 2008 to 2010. Her two-year term was marked by high-profile cases such as the Davao Death Squad, human rights cases against general Jovito Palparan, and the Maguindanao massacre in 2009.
Justice Secretary (2010–2015)
In 2010, President Benigno Aquino III offered her the position of Justice secretary, for which she accepted. Her first high-profile case was the Manila hostage crisis, where eight Hong Kong nationals were killed.
During the 2015 Iglesia ni Cristo leadership controversy and its subsequent protests, de Lima was criticized for meddling in the internal affairs of the denomination.
Senator (2016–2022)
Leila de Lima ran as a senatorial candidate for the 2016 general elections under the Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid (lit. Coalition of the Straight Road) of the Liberal Party. She finished 12th, after amassing more than 14 million votes.
In 2022, de Lima ran for reelection as senator under the Liberal Party, but lost after placing in 23rd position.
Post-imprisonment
On December 4, 2023, de Lima was designated as the official spokesperson of the Liberal Party, having previously been its vice president for policy, platform, and advocacy. On December 13, she announced that she would serve as a professor of De La Salle University's Tañada-Diokno School of Law starting in January 2024, marking her return to teaching law.
On September 20, 2024, de Lima accepted the lead nomination for the party list Mamamayang Liberal for the 2025 House elections, marking her definitive return to national politics. She will be joined by other Liberal Party stalwarts, including former congressmen Teddy Baguilat and Erin Tañada.
Political positions
De Lima was unable to vote against the Congressional vote on extending martial law in Mindanao following the Battle of Marawi in 2017 because of her detention. In December 2017, de Lima criticized Duterte for his pivot to China, citing what happened in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Cambodia, where those countries were put by China in a debt trap after accepting Chinese loans, leading to China's economic control on those countries.
In January 2018, de Lima criticized Duterte after it was revealed that the national debt ballooned to ₱6.6 trillion and the debt-to-GDP ratio expanded into 36.4%. She also criticized the government for 'bowing down' to China amidst the South China Sea dispute and Chinese exploration in the Benham Rise.
De Lima sought Senate inquiries regarding the terms of loans of the government's infrastructure program, which indebted the country rapidly within a few months, and the anti-money laundering law compliance after the Ombudsman dropped all money laundering cases against Duterte due to his administration's threats. On April 4, de Lima filed a dismissal for the ouster petition filed against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. On May 13, de Lima joined liberal senators in condemning Sereno's ouster through a quo warranto petition, which de Lima said was an unconstitutional way to oust an impeachable officer.
On June 1, de Lima filed a resolution seeking to probe blacklisted Chinese firms that were accepted by the Duterte administration in the rehabilitation of Marawi despite being banned by the World Bank due to corrupt practices. On June 3, de Lima filed a resolution seeking to probe the state-sponsored immigration of Chinese citizens into the Philippines which caused the unemployment of Filipinos. On June 5, de Lima called solicitor-general Jose Calida, who had helped spearhead her arrest, as a 'role model in government corruption' after reports of a multi-million peso corruption scandal involving him surfaced.
On July 25, de Lima wrote a letter expressing her dismay on the ascension of Duterte ally and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, as House Speaker. She added that Arroyo's rise to power via unconstitutional means has led to the rise of the country's 'true minority'. On July 31, de Lima called on Congress to pass a bill seeking to prohibit premature campaigning in elections. On August 28, she also pushed for a bill that seeks to increase the pension of qualified indigent senior citizens. She also sought the passage of the Pedestrian Safety Act.
On August 1, de Lima welcomed the indictment against Pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles. On August 4, de Lima and other senators spearheaded the need to probe the conditions of displaced persons in war-torn areas of Mindanao, notably in Marawi. On August 7, de Lima pushed for the passage of the calamity leave bill, which would provide 5 days of calamity leave for workers. On August 11, de Lima filed a bill on incentivizing the use of solar energy in households. On the same day, she joined other senators in calling for a ban on single-occupancy vehicles on EDSA. On August 18, de Lima expressed the need to probe the Bureau of Immigration's ₱869-million loss from express lane fees.
On August 24, minority senators called on the Supreme Court to allow de Lima to be present during the ICC withdrawal case through video conference. On August 25, de Lima called for a Senate probe into delays in the free irrigation law's mandated implementing rules and regulations.
Writings
On February 22, 2018, de Lima announced that she would launch an e-book, entitled, "Dispatches from Crame I" on February 23, a day before the anniversary of her incarceration. On February 23, the e-book was officially launched at the office of the Commission on Human Rights in Quezon City. It contained all the statements and letters written by her since she her imprisonment in 2017. It also contained statements from her supporters from various local and international organizations and personalities.
On June 1, 2018, a book by de Lima's spiritual adviser, Fr. Robert Reyes, entitled, Prisoner of Conscience Prisoner of Hope, was launched, containing various accounts from different personalities giving their views of and conversations with de Lima during her incarceration.
On de Lima's birthday on August 27, 2018, she released her second book, entitled, Fight for Freedom and Other Writings, which collects her speeches, letters, and notes, as well as letters of support from prominent personalities such as Vice President Leni Robredo, former Hong Kong Legislative Council Member Emily Lau, and Liberal International President Juli Minoves.
Personal life
De Lima was previously married for more than thirty years to lawyer Plaridel Bohol, who was her classmate in college, before their marriage was annulled. She has two children.
De Lima's aunt, Julie de Lima, married Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison, making him her uncle by marriage. Another aunt, Lilia de Lima, served as the head of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and is a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee.
Following her release, De Lima, who describes herself as a dog lover, adopted five cats from Camp Crame who accompanied her constantly during her detention.
Honors and recognition
- MetroBank Foundation Professorial Chair for Public Service and Governance (2010)
- Excellent Public Servant Award (2010)
- Defender of People's Rights (2010)
- “Agent of Change” Award (2010)
- Most Outstanding Alumna Award 2010 by San Beda University
- Most Outstanding Alumna Award 2011 by San Beda University
- 2016 Global Thinker Award by Foreign Policy
- Top Most Influential People for 2017 by Time Magazine
- Women Human Rights Defenders for 2017 by Amnesty International
- The 2017 Prize For Freedom by Liberal International.
- 2017 Leading Global Thinker Award
- World's 50 Greatest Leaders for 2018 by Fortune Magazine
- 2018 Southeast Asia's Women to Watch by The Diplomat
- 2018 Most Distinguished Human Rights Defender Award by Amnesty International
- 2018 Women Human Rights Defenders Under Threat recognized by Amnesty International
- 2018 Human Rights Defenders recognized at the Human Rights Defender World Summit in Paris
See also
- List of Filipino Nobel laureates and nominees
