(Eagle News Service) – Calling herself the champion of womanhood and the savior of Philippine democracy, Senator Leila De Lima on Tuesday ranted against President Rodrigo Duterte and called on the public to support her fight for the so-called EDSA values.
De Lima’s press conference was held a day after retired police officer Arthur Lascañas came out to pin Duterte, whom he tagged in the killings of the Davao Death Squad.
The lady senator, who had been charged on Friday for coddling and allowing the illegal drug trade operators at the New Bilibid Prison, railed against the President for almost 30 minutes, calling the President a “sociopathic serial killer,” a criminal, and a dictator.
“Ngayon at higit kailanman ay kailangan ng ating bayan ng inyong tapang at kadakilaan more than 3 decades na ang nakalipas mula nong huli nating ipakita natin sa sarili natin at sa buong mundo sa lansangan ng EDSA na kahit ang kamay na bakal at diktadura ay wlang binatbat laban sa pinagkaisang lakas ta layunin ng sambayanan,” De Lima said.
“Ngayon ay panahon na naman upang tayo ay manindigan at tumayo sa harap ng isang criminal na diktador at rehimeng mapangikil. Ipaglaban natin ang ating mga karapatan, hustisya at demokrasya,” she added as she continued her call for the people to hold another EDSA People Power.
-Palace on De Lima’s claims- “Seriously?”
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, meanwhile, downplayed De Lima’s rants against the President, saying,”Those are colorful language.”
When asked about De Lima’s call for the Cabinet members to declare Duterte as unfit for the presidency, Abella said, “Seriously?”
De Lima, who claimed her womanhood had been trampled upon, said the public’s eyes had been opened, and that there are many more Filipinos who are supporting her cause.
“Lumaban ako dahil alam kong di habang panahon ay ako lamng ang lumalaban. Lumaban ako hanggang dumami na tayo. lumaban ako hanggang di na ako nag-iisa,” she said.
De Lima said she would not back down and will fight the charges filed against her especially now that she has, according to her, many sympathizers.
-De Lima claims she has many supporters
“Hinding-hindi ako aatras sa laban kahit saang korte pa nila isampa ang mga inimbentong kaso sa akin, kahit mali mali ang bintang at pinagsampahan na husgado. hinding hindi ako aatras sa laban. Ngayon pang alam kong di na ako nag-iisa,” the senator said.
“Marami na po tayo, kaya matakot na sila. Nanawagan ako ngayon sa lahat ng ating kababayan na di pa kumikilos upang panagutin ang mamatay tao na pangulo ng bansa,” she said.
De Lima also called the President a “psychotic killer” whom she likened to the movie character “the Joker” in the Batman series.
She claimed the Duterte administration was out to get her.
“Kumbaga sa pelikula, si Pangulong Duterte po si Joker sa eksenang pinapanood natin sa kaasalukuyan…Maitim ang pakay ng rehimeng ito — ang gamitin akong halimbawa para takutin, paatrasin at patahimikin ang kanilang mga kritiko, ilihis ang atensyon ng mga tao sa patuloy nilang pagmamalabis at kapalapakan, at para na rin pagtakpan ang madugong kampanya laban sa droga,” she told reporters at her presscon.
De Lima has filed a motion to quash the drug charges filed against her by the Department of Justice before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court.
She insisted that the cases should have been filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, which she said has the sole jurisdiction to hear cases involving government officials.
Since Duterte exposed De Lima’s alleged drug links, and her string of alleged lovers led by her former bodyguard-driver Ronnie Dayan, the senator claimed her rights were being violated by the Philippine government.
She then pushed for a Senate probe on the alleged extrajudicial killings conducted by the Duterte administration, and revived the investigation into what she said was the Davao Death Squad.
