Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE / LYN RILLON
A “clear squid, diversionary tactic” was how Senator Leila de Lima described on Monday insinuations about her possible involvement in the pork barrel scam allegedly masterminded by detained businesswoman Janet Napoles.
“I’d like to think that’s another diversionary tactic being employed in an effort to possibly block or delay the Senate inquiry,” De Lima said in an interview over CNN Philippines.
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“That has always been again another old issue, that is again a rehash issue and again just like the alleged drug connection, or my involvement, I flatly, vehemently, categorically deny any irregularity on my part in any of the matters affecting the Napoles and the PDAF case,” she said.
The PDAF, or Priority Development Assistance Fund, also known as the “pork barrel” fund of lawmakers, has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
De Lima was reacting to President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to revisit the Napoles case, which he said involved corruption and the lady senator.
De Lima was the former justice secretary who handled the cases of Napoles and legislators allegedly involved in a billion-peso pork barrel scam before she was elected senator last May.
But the senator noted that the President had not even specified why there was a need to revisit the Napoles case
“Again a clear squid, diversionary tactic. It’s so unfortunate,” she said.
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Asked how she was holding up amid the allegations being hurled at her, De Lima said: “I’m okay. I’ve always been strong.”
“I’m used to all these types of challenges and crises in my life. This is just one of them. With the help and guidance of the Lord, I’ll weather the storm,” she added./rga
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