De Lima to Duterte: What have you achieved?
Sen. Leila de Lima and President Rodrigo Duterte (File photos by LYN RILLON, and OAN BONDOC / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Where did all your promises go?
This was the question posed by Senator Leila de Lima as she hit President Rodrigo Duterte for failing to make good on his campaign vow to solve the drug problem in the country within three to six months.
Friday (June 30) marks the first year since Duterte took his oath of office as the country’s 16th president.
“Ginoong Pangulo, alam nating ibinoto ka ng marami nating kababayan dahil sa pangako mong tapusin ang salot ng droga sa lipunan. Ang sabi mo pa nga, in 3 to 6 months, masosolusyunan mo na ito,” De Lima said in her latest dispatch from detention at Camp Crame on Friday.
(Mr. President, we all know our countrymen elected you because of your promise to rid drugs from our society. You even said that you can solve this problem in three to six months.)
“Makalipas ang isang taon, nasaan na tayo (After one year, what have we achieved)?”
“Nagresulta lang ang inyong ‘War on Drugs’ sa pagpatay at patuloy na pagpatay ng libu-libong Pilipino—karamihan ay mga maralitang walang kalaban-laban, kabilang ang mga inosenteng bata,” De Lima said.
(Your “war on drugs” has only resulted in the killing of thousands of Filipinos, most of whom are poor and defenseless, including innocent kids.)
READ: Duterte a ‘murderer,’ says De Lima
The senator then called on Duterte and his administration to stop the killings in the name of his bloody drug war.
De Lima said that instead of targeting poor drug addicts and pushers, authorities should go after high-profile drug lords and dealers and their protectors from the government, police and military.
“Itigil na ninyo ang mga patayan! Maaaring magpatuloy ang kampanya laban sa droga nang walang EJK at pag-abuso sa karapatang pantao. Ang tugisin ninyo, sa pamamaraan na sang-ayon sa batas, ay yung mga tunay at malalaking drug lords at drug dealers at ang mga protektor nila sa pamahalaan, kapulisan at militar,” De Lima said.
(Stop the killings! You can continue the drug war without the extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses. Using legal means, go after the big drug lords and drug dealers who have protectors from the government, the police and the military.)
“Hanggang kailan ba ninyo gugustuhing dumanak ang dugo sa ating bayan (Until when do you want to see bloodshed in the country)?”
“Hanggang kailan ninyo ipagkakait ang katarungan sa mga pamilyang biktima ng walang habas na pagpatay (Until when will you deny justice to the families of those who were killed)?” the senator asked.
De Lima, an ally of the past Aquino administration, was put behind bars in February after on allegations that she benefitted from the drug business in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) when she was still the Justice secretary. Duterte himself accused her of being involved in narcopolitics.
READ: Duterte says De Lima played lead role in narcopolitics
Later, convicted drug lords, other Bilibid inmates and her alleged bagman and former aide Ronnie Dayan testified how De Lima was protecting drugs in Bilibid.
De Lima vehemently denied the accusations.
De Lima scored Duterte, because he focuses too much on the drug issue, which she said prevented him from addressing the much important problems in the society.
“Hanggang kailan kayo magbubulag-bulagan sa iba pang suliranin ng bansa—sa mataas na presyo ng bilihin, sa mababang pasahod, sa kawalan ng sapat na kabuhayan?”
(Until when will you turn a blind eye on the other problems of the society—high prices of commodities, low income and the lack of enough livelihood.)
“Hanggang kailan ninyo ikukulong ang katotohanan? Hanggang kailan ninyo itatago ang tunay ninyong kalagayan?”
(Until when will you hide the truth? Until when will you conceal your real condition?)
“May hangganan ang lahat, Ginoong Pangulo (There is an end to everything, Mr. President),” De Lima said. IDL
