The Senate cannot investigate the allegations hurled at Senator Leila de Lima as it has only jurisdiction over those violations or misdemeanors that have been committed by a member during his or her incumbency, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Thursday.
But Lacson said the lady senator has the right to defend herself against President Rodrigo Duterte’s personal attacks.
“Call ng Pangulo yan. Kilala natin kung ano ang, for lack of a better word character ni President Duterte, pagdating sa issue na ito. Sa tingin ko karapatan naman ni Sen. De Lima para ipagtanggol ang sarili,” he said in an interview over GMA’s News To Go, reacting to Duterte’s tirades against de Lima.
“Sa panig ng Senado, member ng Senado si Sen. de Lima, at hindi sakop ng ethics committee yan. Ang jurisdiction ng ethics committee ang supposed misdemeanors or violations na ginawa ng senador habang siya ay nakaupong senador,” said Lacson.
(It’s the President’s call. We are all familiar with, for lack of a better word, President Duterte’s character when it comes to this issue. I think it’s Senator De Lima’s right to defend herself as well.
(On the part of the Senate, Senator De Lima is its member, and the ethics committee does not have jurisdiction over that. The ethic committee’s jurisdiction covers the supposed misdemeanors or violations a senator commits while he or she is in office.)
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Lacson noted that the allegations against De Lima were supposedly committed before she was elected senator last May.
“So walang magagawa ang Senate pagdating sa mga allegation. So ang maipapayo namin kay Sen. de Lima ay ipagtanggol niya ang kanyang sarili sa naaayon sa kanyang discretion,” he said.
(Hence, the Senate can do nothing about the allegation. What we can advice Senator De Lima is to defend herself based on her own discretion.) CDG/rga
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