Duterte on De Lima’s ouster: Senate is not my territory

President Rodrigo Duterte. AP FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY–PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday distanced himself from the Senate majority’s action that ousted Sen. Leila De Lima as chair of the Senate Committee on Justice.

“I do not intervene or dwell into matters not within, not part of my territory”, Duterte said in an ambush interview after speaking to the victims of the deadly Davao blast.

The President was reacting to De Lima’s accusation that he was behind moves to remove her as head of the panel that was investigating extrajudicial killings in the country.

“Majority po ang nag-oust sa akin bilang chair ng committee on justice. Wala po akong duda na mayroong kinalaman  dyan ang ating Pangulo,”  De Lima said in a television  interview shortly  after her ouster  as head of the committee.

“Bagamat nirerespeto ko po ang aking mga kasamahan, siguro po pwede kong  masabi na naiitindihan ko ang ginawa nila  pero uulitin ko po yun, imposible  po walang kinalaman dito ang ating Pangulo,” she added.

On Senator Manny Pacquiao’s motion, sixteen senators voted  to declare  the  chairmanship  and the membership of the  committee vacant, only four voted against it while  two senators  abstained.

READ: De Lima ousted as Senate justice chair

 De Lima suspected that the President  got  angrier with her  after she presented during last week’s hearing  a witness, Edgar Matobato,  who had accused  Duterte of ordering the killings of enemies and criminals in Davao City  when he was still the mayor.