De Lima: Only ‘snippets of truth’ in Duterte allegations

Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

Senator Leila de Lima admitted on Friday that there were “snippets of truths” in the allegations being hurled at her but said a bulk of them were “distortions,” “exaggerations” and “lies.”

De Lima, however, was not ready to say what these “snippets of truths” were, saying she has yet to decide whether to call a press conference on Monday and talk about it.

“Ang nakikita ko kasi ngayon,parang hindi na alam ng tao alin ang totoo d’yan, alin ang hindi. Totoo ba ‘yan? Kasinungalingan ba ‘yan?” she said in an interview at the Senate Friday.

(What I have been noticing is that people don’t know which of the statements are true and a lie. Is it true? Is it a lie?)

(“This is what I can say at this point, may konting totoo dyan pero karamihan ho dyan (There are some snippets of truth there but most of them are) exaggerations, distortions and lies.”)

READ: Duterte tells De Lima: I have witnesses against you

And foremost of the lies, De Lima said, was the allegation that somebody was collecting money
for her at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

“That is an absolute lie,” she said, adding that she had been denying from the start previous insinuations that she was a protector or coddler of drug lords and convicts.

De Lima as a former justice secretary had jurisdiction over the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureao of Corrections, among other agencies.

The senator also branded as “absolute lie” another allegation that was she was in the payroll of drug lords or that she received campaign contributions from these people.

“That’s completely false. I will never do that because I’ve never betrayed my oath as a public servant and I dont intend to ever betray my oath as a public servant lalo na na may mandato ako ngayon sa taumbayan,” she said.

“So that’s what I can tell you right now kasi baka you know bakit completely silent ako (why I have been completely silent). It’s very difficult for me kasi (because) I don’t want to be publicly engaging na paisa-isa ko na I explain yan etcetera (explaining the issues one by one).”

“But this one I can tell you. May some snippets of facts, snippets of truths but the bulk of it are distortions, are exaggerations and lies,” said the senator.

Asked what were these “snippets of truths,” De Lima said: “That’s what I’m gonna decide…”

The senator also denied owning a house in Pangasinan, which she had allegedly bought as a gift for her driver Ronnie Dayan, whom President Rodrigo Duterte tagged as her lover who collected drug money to fund her campaign.

READ: Was driver given this white house by senator?

“Hindi sa akin ‘yan (That’s not mine),” she said when asked about the house. IDL/rga