De Lima laughs off Duterte matrix: Even 12-year-old can draw it

Sen. Leila De Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Leila de Lima on Thursday laughed off the matrix that President Rodrigo Duterte presented to chart her alleged links to the drug trade, calling it “garbage” as she reiterated her denial of such claims.

Speaking to reporters as she celebrated her 57th birthday at the Senate in advance, De Lima, who turns 57 on Saturday, pleaded to Duterte to “stop this madness,” noting that his allegations against her always dominated his press briefings.

READ: De Lima calls matrix linking her to illegal drugs trade ‘rubbish’

“It’s as if this war against drugs has turned into a war versus De Lima. Of course, it’s an exaggeration, it’s a hyperbolic statement of mine, but you can’t blame me if I say that. That’s how I feel,” she said.

“If we base it by his actuations, by his statements, it’s like he’s really bent on destroying me at all costs. I hope he stops it,” De Lima said.

She called the matrix allegedly linking her to the drug trade as “laughable,” showing a version of the chart that her staff tinkered with using red marks, making annotations for grammar and style corrections.

READ: Duterte matrix out; tags De Lima, ex-Pangasinan gov, others

“Was it a joke? Like most of his jokes before, this latest one he will surely regret. But yes, please amuse me at how his men have desperately tried to link me with the ‘Muntinlupa Connection’ flick. Where is the so-called drug link or links?” said De Lima.

The neophyte senator had courted Duterte’s ire for her criticism of possible human rights violations in the midst of an increasing body count in the administration’s all-out war on drugs.

Duterte openly accused De Lima, chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, of drug links just days before she was to start her inquiry into the spate of suspicious killings.

“It does not surprise me anymore to hear it from someone who had long professed to destroy me at all cost. Like the many tirades thrown at me, these are bound to fail again with all of these trumped-up accusations and worst matrix of all time,” she said.

“Even a 12-year-old can draw such a thing,” said De Lima.

She said it would be the last time she would speak on Duterte’s allegations. RAM/rga

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