MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s threats “are nothing but empty words to real terrorists.”
Opposition Senator Leila de Lima said this on Monday, following the deadly bombings in a cathedral in Jolo, Sulu and a mosque in Zamboanga City.
READ: Jolo twin blasts death toll reaches 20, with 111 others injured
READ: 2 dead, 3 hurt in Zamboanga mosque grenade blast
“If, indeed, it was the terrorists who did the bombings, it also proves one thing: That the gangster-like antics of Duterte cannot protect the people against terrorists and neither can he scare them away to curb their agenda,” De Lima said in a dispatch from Camp Crame in Quezon City.
“The first was Marawi, now Jolo and Zamboanga. His threats are nothing but empty words to real terrorists. To put it bluntly, he is mighty in words, but inept in action. What are our intelligence assets doing, or where are the funds to run the intelligence gathering?” she added.
De Lima also questioned the President’s claims that suicide bombers carried out the twin explosions in Jolo.
READ: Duterte: Suicide bombers carried out Jolo twin blasts
“I also do not understand why Duterte is making such hasty pronouncement that suicide bombers were behind the attacks without waiting for the results of official investigation and validation from experts,” she said.
“His statements achieve nothing but add more confusion and fear among the people. It is highly irresponsible, especially coming from the top official of the land,” she added.
De Lima said that she is seeing a “pattern” wherein the President “makes premature and specious statements often in too serious a situation.”
“He did this in the case of the seized magnetic lifters in Cavite which, based on PDEA’s (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) investigation, were used to smuggle billions worth of shabu (chrystal meth). At first, Duterte dismissed the agency’s initial findings as “pure speculation,” the senator said.
“In these bombings in Mindanao, is he again misleading the public and selling us the wrong story?” she added.
The senator has reiterated her call for an investigation of the attacks.
READ: De Lima calls for ‘serious attention’ to Jolo twin blasts
“Kaya sinusuportahan ko po ang panawagan sa isang hiwalay at malayang imbestigasyon sa nangyaring pambobomba sa Jolo at Zamboanga. Kailangang lumabas ang katotohanan. Maraming namatay at naulila at ang insidente ay nagdulot ng lubhang pangamba sa publiko,” she said.
(This is why I am supporting the call for an independent investigation of the bombing incidents in Jolo and Zamboanga. The truth should come out. There were many who died because of the incident and it sowed fear.)
“Ayaw kong isipin na isa na namang palabas ito para linlangin tayo. Ngunit hindi mapagkakatiwalaan ang gobyernong mahilig mag-imbento ng kuwento, mag-akusa ng kung sino-sino at ang bukambibig ay ‘Kill! Kill! Kill!’” she added.
(I don’t like to think that this is just a show to deceive us. The government whic has a penchant for inventing stories, accusing people and whose mantra is “kill, kill, kill” cannot be trusted.) /ee