De Lima tells Duterte: Drug claims against me were just propaganda

Former Senator Leila de Lima and former President Rodrigo Duterte—GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE; MALACAÑANG FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Former Senator Leila De Lima turned emotional during a congressional hearing on Wednesday after she was asked about the Duterte administration officials’ accusations that she was involved in the illegal drug trade, saying it was just propaganda.

At the eleventh hearing of the House of Representatives’ quad committee, co-chairperson and Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez asked former President Rodrigo Duterte if he believes De Lima is the “mother of all drug lords” as stated in a news report citing former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officials.

Duterte did not explicitly state that he believed the NBI officials’ claims, but he congratulated them for making the assertion.

De Lima, who was seated beside Duterte, said these were fictitious claims that were debunked before the courts.

“Absolutely false. That is a fictitious, bogus, allegation against me,” she said.

“They filed cases related to illegal drugs, initially consummated illegal drug trading, and amended it into a conspiracy to commit illegal trade. There were three cases filed against me, but I was acquitted for all three because I am not involved in illegal drugs, it was just mere propaganda,” she added.

“This was just made up so that they will have a figure, a prominent figure — that is Senator De Lima in 2016, for her to be the center of attention of the country, of the world, that this woman is the mother of all drug lords, the Bilibid drug trade queen,” she also said.

De Lima reminded the panel that the cases against her were dropped, and the witnesses tapped by the state eventually recanted their testimonies against her.

She also recounted her experience as a detainee.

“I underwent the whole process; I went through it even if it was hard and painful for me. I was detained for almost seven years, they can no longer give that back to me. Because of the mastermind’s anger, he persecuted me, which was implemented by his Secretary of Justice, Vitaliano Aguirre,” De Lima said in Filipino.

De Lima and Duterte are long-time political enemies, which she attributes to her probe into human rights violations allegedly committed when Duterte was still Davao City mayor. De Lima was the chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights at that time.

During the quad committee hearing last October 11, confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa said Duterte’s first Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, now Senator Ronald dela Rosa, ordered him to implicate De Lima and Peter Lim as involved in the illegal drug trade.

He said the directive came right after his father, former Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, was killed in 2016.

According to Kerwin, he, Dela Rosa, and other police officers entered a bullet-proof vehicle after he arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Dubai.

When they were inside the car, Kerwin said Dela Rosa warned him about suffering the same fate as Espinosa Sr. if he did not follow the orders.

READ: Dela Rosa ordered me to implicate de Lima in drug trade – Kerwin Espinosa

Dela Rosa belied Kerwin’s statements, adding he would punch Kerwin in the face if he saw him in person.