LP: Don’t let ‘lies’ in 2017 shape 2018

The war on drugs, the LP senators say, is one of the three events that defined 2017. —RAFFY LERMA

Describing 2017 as a difficult year, Liberal Party (LP) senators on Sunday urged Filipinos not to allow the “lies perpetrated” in the past year define the new year, saying 2018 might be the “fight for our nation’s soul.”

In their New Year statement, the LP senators enumerated the top three events that defined 2017: Sen. Leila de Lima’s arrest on “made-up” charges in February, the declaration of martial law in Mindanao in May and the killings of Kian delos Santos, Carlo Angelo Arnaiz, Reynaldo de Guzman and other minors in August in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

They said the thread that bound these events were lies: manufactured evidence that sent De Lima to detention, the invented bases for the declaration of martial law and its one-year extension, and the discredited idea that crime could be solved by deadly shortcuts.

Promoting the lies

“How will the lies be promoted in 2018?” the LP senators asked.

“By circumventing, if not actually violating, the country’s fundamental law through charter change or federalism or martial law so that some politicians can try to rule longer than allowed and we the people won’t be allowed to choose our leaders,” they said.

They urged Filipinos to brace themselves for the coming year and to “fight with the only weapons we have: truth and justice.”

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, the LP president, encouraged Filipinos to strive to win back their gentle nature and kindness in the coming year amid the promotion of a culture of violence in the country.

“Toy guns are a fad again. Some children who may have received toy guns for Christmas are going around their neighborhoods playing war games, hurting themselves, and bystanders and passersby alike,” Pangilinan said.

“This is the danger that a culture of violence promotes. The children smell it in the air, are infected by it and spread it among themselves and to the next generation,” he added, challenging Filipinos to change the tide.

‘Trumped-up charges’

From her detention quarters in Camp Crame, De Lima said 2017 was an extraordinary year, claiming she was detained on “trumped-up” illegal drug charges by the Duterte administration but at the same time gained international recognition for her fight for human rights.

“This year, I learned that being deprived of your physical liberty is never a hindrance to fight for what is right and just, but a reminder to continue living a life of purpose by promoting freedom and seeking justice, especially for the thousands killed in the war on drugs,” De Lima said.

There was no immediate comment from Malacañang.

Other LP senators praised the Filipinos’ resilient spirit in the face of adversities in the past year as they expressed optimism and encouraged the nation to face the new year with renewed hope.

Sen. Loren Legarda said she hoped the tragedies that befell the nation in the past year would serve as lessons that would bring about urgent action to build safer and more resilient communities.

“The Filipino people deserve more and that is what we aim [for] in 2018, to give more of what our citizens need and rightfully deserve,” Legarda said, noting that the 2018 national budget she championed recognized the actual needs and aspirations of the people, especially the poor and the vulnerable.

Sen. Grace Poe said 2017 challenged the Filipino’s mettle and unity as a nation amid the crisis in Marawi City and the natural disasters that hit various parts of the country.

“We have an unfinished work to do for the country and we shall embark on it this coming year with the aim of achieving lasting peace and prosperous life for all,” Poe said.