Senator Manny Pacquiao. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
Senator Manny Pacquiao can only offer sympathy for Senator Leila de Lima, who was ousted as chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, upon his motion.
“Naaawa nga ako sa kanya dahil syempre bilang may nanay din ako, may mommy din ako so naaawa din ako (I pity her because I have a mother too),” Pacquiao told reporters on Wednesday.
“Pero kailangan natin ‘yung katotohanan, kailangan natin ‘yung tama para sa kabutihan (But we need to find out the truth for the good of the people),” he said.
It was Pacquiao, who made a motion on the floor last Monday to declare the chairmanship and membership of the committee vacant.
READ: Pacquiao moves to declare De Lima committee on justice vacant
The move came shortly after Senator Alan Peter Cayetano delivered a privilege speech, criticizing de Lima’s handling of the committee’s investigation on the alleged spate of killings in the country. De Lima was replaced by Senator Richard Gordon.
Pacquiao said he was just doing his job and that he had nothing personal against de Lima.
“Sa akin naman hindi ako galit sa kanya…Useless kung pahintulutan natin ‘yung masasama (I hold no grudge against her. I just do not want the evil to triumph). It’s against the Constitution, against the law na bayaan na lang natin, hindi natin i-correct (if we just let evil triumph and not correct it),” he said.
He said no one had instructed him to make that motion. In fact, before doing it, he said, he prayed and asked for wisdom and guidance from the Lord.
“Before I decided to manifest, nag-pray ako (I prayed) and then asked guidance, wisdom, knowledge because of the problem na (that) the committee chair should be neutral, hindi maging (and) unbiased,” Pacquiao said.
“’Yun ang naging problema natin, ‘yung pagiging biased ng isang chairperson sa isang komite. Dapat hindi gamitin para sa sarili (That’s our problem, that the chairperson of a committee was biased. We should not use our positions just for our gains),” he said.
READ: Gordon: De Lima protected self at Senate’s expense
The senator said they did not unseat de Lima to stop the Senate probe on alleged extrajudicial killings, noting that the committee will continue with a fair investigation on the issue. IDL