(Eagle News) — Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II advised Senator Leila De Lima to be watchful of her statements since she could face another criminal case, this time for “inciting to sedition” for calling on the public to rise up against President Rodrigo Duterte.
Aguirre, who had been called a “mediocre lawyer” by De Lima, said the former justice secretary who is now facing three drug-related charges for her alleged involvement in the proliferation of illegal drug trading at the national penitentiary, should be “careful about her statements.”
He made the statement on Tuesday after the press conference of De Lima where she called on the public to rise up against the popularly-elected Duterte, saying that the time was ripe for another People Power revolution.
“Just a piece of unsolicited advice to her from someone she referred to as a mediocre lawyer: she should be careful about her statements. She was already inciting to sedition earlier,” Aguirre said.
De Lima’s press conference on Tuesday 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.
“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.
De Lima says she has the numbers
She even claimed she has many supporters, and warned Duterte supporters that they should fear them (“matakot na po sila”).
“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.
The senator, who is backed by the Liberal Party, believe that the drug cases filed against her should have been filed with the Office of the Ombudsman.
De Lima is facing three drug related charges.
Her co-accused in the first complaint were Ronnie Dayan, the senator’s former driver-bodyguard, and Rafael Ragos, former director of the Bureau of Corrections and deputy director of intelligence of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
In the second complaint, De Lima’s co-accused were Franklin Bucayu, former BuCor director, and Jose Adrian Dera. alias Jad De Vera, a nephew and close-in security detail of De Lima.
In the third complaint, the co-accused are De Lima’s former security aides Dayan, Dera, and Joenel Sanchez; Bucayu and his staff and alleged bagman Col. Wilfredo Elli, and Jaybee Sebastian, a high-profile inmate at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
All of them are charged with violation of Section 5, in relation to Section 3(jj), Section 26(b) and Section 28 of Republic Act No. 9165, for the alleged proliferation of illegal drugs at the national penitentiary when De Lima was still justice secretary under the administration of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III
Eagle News Service
