MANILA (UPDATED) - Embattled Senator Leila de Lima on Friday claimed that the administration of then President Benigno Aquino III never engaged in any political persecution, compared to the treatment given by the Duterte administration to its critics.

“I never engaged in acts of persecution. The PNoy admin never engaged in any act of harassment or of persecution against any perceived political opponent or foe,” she said in a phone interview with ANC before she was detained at the Camp Crame Custodial Center.

“Unlike what they are doing to me how the president (Duterte) is treating me, how the president is portraying me,” she added.

But several high-profile government officials, such as former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Chief Justice Renato Corona, were prosecuted during the Aquino administration.

On Thursday, Duterte's chief legal counsel said karma was only catching up with the former justice chief. Duterte's allies believe the Aquino administration resorted to political persecution.

Panelo said De Lima's impending arrest was different from the time when the then-justice chief effected the arrest of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2011. A Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge issued the arrest warrant against Arroyo after she was charged with electoral sabotage by the Commission Elections (Comelec).

"Unlike when she effected the arrest of former President GMA despite the absence of a criminal charge and a warrant of arrest [De Lima] will now be arrested and detained pursuant to a warrant of arrest issued by a competent court. She is being given due process which she shamelessly denied FPGMA [former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo] when she was Secretary of Justice," Panelo said.

Arroyo was charged with plunder in 2011 and it was only last year that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the dismissal of the case against Arroyo.

She was mostly under hospital or house arrest during Aquino's term.

The plunder case against Arroyo and several others involved the alleged release of over P366 million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) intelligence funds from 2008 up to 2010.

Arroyo was allowed to post bail in 2012 for an electoral sabotage case involving the alleged rigging of the 2007 senatorial polls. She remained in detention while she faced the PCSO case.

Corona, on the other hand, was impeached for failing to disclose his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth to the public. Corona was an appointee of Arroyo and was replaced by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Other lawmakers jailed during the Aquino administration were former senators Bong Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada, and Juan Ponce Enrile, who faced plunder charges over their alleged misuse of government funds.

They were jailed while De Lima was justice secretary.

De Lima has repeatedly described the drug-related charges against her as politically motivated due to her criticism of Duterte’s war on drugs.

She was arrested Friday morning based on a warrant issued by a Muntinlupa regional trial court.

De Lima also responded to her critics who tell her that she deserves to be jailed.

“I really don’t know what they mean. If they are saying that [it is because] I sent to jail some high-profile personalities in my capacity as secretary of Justice example, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, why I was just doing my job based on the findings that there are evidence,” she said.

De Lima said Aquino called her Thursday night prior to her arrest, to ask about her situation.

“He had to find out of my situation, how I was feeling and asked for a rundown of my situation—the legal situation,” De Lima said.