Former Senator Leila de Lima and Senator Risa Hontiveros during a presscon at Novotel after being granted bail by the Muntinlupa RTC on November 13, 2023. INQUIRER.net / NOY MORCOSO
MANILA, Philippines – “It’s reckoning time.”
These are the words uttered by former Senator Leila de Lima to her “persecutors.”
De Lima, who was released on bail on Monday, told former president Rodrigo Duterte on Friday to “just face the music.”
Her remarks come as she gears for the filing of charges against him and other persons behind her detention.
“We all know about you being behind those killings (war on drugs). We all know about you being behind my persecution,” she said.
De Lima gave these responses when asked for a message to Duterte during a live interview with INQside Look.
She is almost certain that she will sue the former Chief Executive.
She is just studying the details of the cases against him.
“It’s only a matter of determining what would be the proper timeline for that, and what would be the proper courses of action, or the exact cases to be filed against him and others who are responsible for my persecution,” De Lima said.
She also scoffed at the former president’s remarks against her after she voiced her support for the International Criminal Court’s (ICC).
ICC is investigating the previous administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Duterte previously said de Lima can “go together” with ICC, as he tossed the matter aside.
In reaction, de Lima asked, “Am I a human rights violator? Am I a killer, let alone a mass murderer?”
“Siguro ang ibig sabihin lang niyang ‘magsama-sama’ ay gusto lang niyang may makasama siya in that lonely cell at ICC,” she said in jest.
(Maybe what he means by ‘go together’ is that he wants someone to go with him in that lonely cell at ICC.)
Then, she blurted a joke, “Baka nami-miss lang niya po ako.”
(Maybe he just misses me.)