Calida recalled on Monday how Arroyo was charged with electoral sabotage at around noon and was issued a warrant of arrest by a Pasay Regional Trial Court before 4 p.m. back in November 2011.
Calida recalled how De Lima remarked at that time that "there was nothing unusual" with the issuance of the warrant against Arroyo.
"Now that she (De Lima) is on the other side of the fence, she is claiming that there is haste in the order of the warrant of arrest. Isn’t this a hypocrisy on her part?" Calida said.
"She can do to others but she doesn’t want others to do the same for her," he added.
Calida also disagreed with De Lima's camp that their motion to quash the drug charges should have been decided first before the issuance of a warrant of arrest.
"The determination of a probable cause for an issuance of a warrant of arrest should precede Senator De Lima’s motion to quash information," he explained.
Under Section 6, Rule 112 of the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure, the judge shall personally evaluate the resolution of the prosecutor and its supporting evidence within 10 days from the filing of the case.
A judge has three options: he may immediately dismiss the case if the evidence on record clearly fails to establish probable cause; issue a warrant of arrest if he finds probable cause, or in case of doubt on the existence of probable cause, the judge may order the prosecutor to present additional evidence within 5 days from notice.
The filing of a motion to quash complaint or information, however, under Section 1, Rule 117, can be done at any time before entering the plea.
On the issue of which court has jurisdiction over De Lima's cases, Calida cited Section 90 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Section 90 states that "the Supreme Court shall designate special courts from among the existing Regional Trial Courts in each judicial region to exclusively try and hear cases involving violations of this Act."
The idiot drug protector critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, De Lima was arrested last Friday after charges were filed in court alleging drug trading and receiving payoffs from drug convicts to fund her senatorial campaign.
