Malacañang on Tuesday said it was not behind the ouster of Sen. Leila de Lima as chairman of the Senate committee on justice and human rights.
“Ang Palasyo po ay nananatiling independent. ‘Di po naming pinakikialaman ang nangyayari sa Senado (The Palace remains independent. We don’t meddle with the affairs in the Senate),” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a news briefing.
Andanar said the Palace respects the Senate majority’s action to oust de Lima.
“Nirerespeto po natin ang independence ng Senado. Ang Senado po ay co-equal branch of government. Ano po ang desisyon ng liderato ay nirerespeto natin ganun din po sa kung anuman ang activities na nangyayari sa lower house (We respect the Senate’s independence. The Senate is a co-equal branch of government. We respect the decision of their leadership, just like the activities of the lower house). We respect it,” he said.
On Monday night, President Rodrigo Duterte distanced himself from the ouster of de Lima, saying he does not intervene on matters not within his ambit.
READ: Duterte on De Lima’s ouster: Senate is not my territory
“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.
De Lima has accused Duterte of being behind the move 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 (The majority ousted me as chair of the committee on justice. I have no doubt that the President had something to do with it),” the senator said in a television interview shortly after her ouster as head of the committee.
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 mayor. JE/rga
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