Churchill Aguilar SEN. Leila de Lima had it coming. Had she and her team handled it well, it would have been a great opportunity to reveal the ruthless political style of Duterte and may just have been good for the nation. Instead, the people perceived her as nothing more than a lapdog of the LP and that anything and everything she says was nothing but a political agenda to advance their party’s interest. She had a great case, her only sins were that she is a rookie in the world of politics and she chose to go up against the most loved president who may just have a doctorate degree in the rules of power being a seasoned local politician. De Lima will surely be fine just like all the other other politicians who got arrested before her. Her powerful connections would make sure she is fine because she may come in handy again when the perfect time comes. Then begins the waiting game. After all, in politics timing is everything. What I feel sorry about is not her being arrested. The kind of politician that she is and how she fought her cause, her arrest comes with the territory, it may even be the best thing that has happened in her political career if she knows how to use it. What I feel sorry more are the millions of Filipino workers who really hoped that after the elections they will already have tenure-ship in their jobs. Up to now, contractualization is as bad as it was years ago. I also feel sorry for those who really believed that DU30 will really hop into a speed boat and sail to the contested islands in the West Philippine Sea and cement our claim over it. He made it clear then that such issue was non-negotiable. Apparently it is. And finally I feel sorry for those who really believed that his war on drugs is as sincere as how bloody it is. I mean after he publicly named those who he thought were the real drug lords of this country, none of those big shots ended up cold and lifeless like the thousands of suspected small-time pushers who are probably just addicts or users but were deprived of their right to defend themselves in the proper courts. De Lima’s arrest was never about a justice issue. No, it is not--it is politics at play. The issue on justice remains at the hands of the president, that is, whether he can still live up to his promise of ending contractualization, of claiming what is truly ours to begin with, and of putting an end to the real criminals and not their middlemen. As for de Lima, I hope she can get hold of herself fast, drop her erratic outburst in public, see the opportunity in the crisis, do her homework to be as cunning as her enemies. Because ultimately, her’s is not a lost cause.