Aquino to Filipinos: Stand up vs abuses before you suffer De Lima’s ordeal
Former President Benigno S. Aquino III poses with a standee of Senator Leila De Lima at the indignation run to mark the lawmaker’s 1,000 days of “unjust detention” on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, in Quezon City. (Darryl John Esguerra/INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos should stand up now against the abuses under the Duterte administration before they experience the ordeal of detained Senator Leila De Lima, former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino said Wednesday.
The former chief executive issued the call as De Lima, his former justice secretary, marks her 1,000th day in detention over her alleged involvement in the drug trade.
READ: Supporters, colleagues mark De Lima’s 1,000th day of ‘unjust’ detention
“Pwede tayong magwalang-kibo. Pwede nating hindi intindihin ‘yung nangyayari sa kapiligiran natin at hinahanda nalang natin ‘yung pagkakataon na tamaan tayo,” Aquino said before De Lima’s supporters and colleagues.
(We can keep quiet. We can ignore the abuses happening around us and just wait before we’re directly subjugated.)
“Tanong ho, habang hindi pa tayo tinamaan, hindi kaya mas marapat dito na tayo manindigan? Dito na tayo magsabing hindi tama ang nangyayari kaysa naman madama na natin ang nararamdaman ni Leila nang dire-diretso,” he stressed.
(But isn’t it better if we stand up now while we’re not being subjugated yet? And say that what’s happening around us isn’t right before we experience what Leila is going through.)
De Lima, a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, has been in detention at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Quezon City since February 24, 2017, on charges that she was involved in the illegal drug trade.
She has denied the charges, saying they were fabricated in retaliation for her fierce criticism of Duterte’s brutal war on drugs and monitoring of his human rights record since the time she headed the Commission on Human Rights in 2008.
The former President also said that despite being jailed, De Lima continues to amaze him as she never showed that she is disheartened over her ordeal.
“Kada dalaw ko kay Leila, ni minsan hindi niya ipinakita sa aking nanghihina ang loob niya. Ni minsan hindi siya umiyak. Ni minsan hindi siya nagsasabing, ‘kawawa naman ako’,” Aquino said.
(Every time I visit Leila, she never showed signs that she’s disheartened. She never cried. She never pitied herself.)
“Bagkus parati niyang ipinaiintindi sa lahat ng dadalaw sa kanya na hindi (dapat) bumigat ang kalooban, hindi (dapat) sumama ang loob dahil sa awa sa nangyayari sa kanya. Talagang kahanga-hanga siya,” he added.
(Instead, she always explained to her visitors not to be discouraged, not to be angry because of what she’s going through. She’s really amazing.)
Aside from Aquino, Liberal Party stalwarts like Quezon City 6th District Representative Jose Christopher “Kit” Belmonte, LP vice president for external affairs Erin Tañada, and former Quezon City congressman Bolet Banal attended the event to show their support for De Lima.
Former lawmakers Gary Alejano and Tom Villarin, as well as Vice President Leni Robredo’s spokesman Barry Gutierrez also joined the event.
