NEW YORK, New York (The Adobo Chronicles, Washington Bureau) – Now we know why Philippine Senator Leila De Lima has been waging an all–out war against the alleged extra-judicial killings under the Duterte administration, weathering the resulting political fallout while trying to downplay accusations that she herself benefited from the drug trade proliferation inside the New Bilibid Prison during her tenure as Secretary of Justice.

She wants to be the next U.N. Secretary General to succeed Ban Ki Moon who is stepping down at the end of this year after six terms.

She has been consciously building a reputation as a lone woman crusader on human rights and a no-nonsense defender of the rule of law — qualities that auger well for the position of secretary general.

There is a strong clamor at the U.N. for the international body to elect a woman to replace Ban Ki Moon. Clearly, De Lima has that advantage.

Is De Lima qualified to be secretary general?

It doesn’t matter. There are no established criteria for the position, other than the process of selection :

Article 97 of the UN Charter provides that, “The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.” In other words, Article 97 creates a two-stage process: a recommendation by the Security Council followed by a decision by the General Assembly.

So all De Lima needs to  do now is to  schmooze with members of the Security Council.

Schmoozing seems to be one of De Lima’s strengths. Or maybe not.