By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Embattled Senator Leila De Lima is calling on the Senate to investigate the recent killings in Negros.

In a statement, the senator claimed violence in the region has reached “alarming levels,” adding, most of those killed were human rights activists and farmers.

According to De Lima, since Rodrigo Duterte assumed the presidency in 2016, there have been 50 killings in Negros.

“There is an urgent need to investigate this escalating trend and spate of killings,” she affirmed.

The senator is currently detained on allegations of receiving kickbacks from detained drug dealers while serving as Department of Justice secretary during the administration of former President Benigno S. Aquino III.

Last year, after De Lima filed a motion for reconsideration, the Supreme Court upheld her arrest./DGB, WDJ