Sen. Leila de Lima and President Rodrigo Duterte INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS/LYN RILLON,JOAN BONDOC
President Rodrigo Duterte should just shut his mouth if he had nothing good to say, Senator Leila de Lima said on Thursday.
De Lima deplored Duterte’s “incessant vicious” attacks against her and how she was being blamed for allegedly destroying the image of the country before the international community and media.
“Sinisira ko daw po ang imahe ng ating bansa sa international community at sa international media,” she said during a dialogue on democracy and human rights at St. Scholastica’s College in Manila.
(They say I was ruining the image of the country in the international community and on international media.)
“Nababahala na raw ang mga namumuhunan, the investors. Kasalanan ni De Lima. Mababawasan ang turista, kagagawan ni De Lima. Hihina ang piso, dahil yan kay De Lima. Kulang na lang isisi ay kay De Lima ang pahihiwalay nina Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Ang haba naman ng hair ko,” she said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
(The investors are becoming worried. It’s De Lima’s fault. Fewer tourists are coming, it’s De Lima’s doing. The peso is weakening, that’s because of De Lima. They might want to blame the divorce of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on me.)
“Sabi pa nila, nagmamahal na ang dolyar, pero si Presidente Duterete nagmumura pa rin.”
If the administration wants to end the bad publicity in international media, then De Lima said the only way is to stop the killings in the country.
“At kung wala rin namang sasabihing maganda si Pangulong Duterte, mas mabuting itikom na lang nya ang bibig nya,” she said.
(And if President Duterte has nothing good to say, then he better just shut his mouth.)
“I’m just doing my duty. I’m just trying to help. I want Filipinos to know the truth…” she added.
De Lima noted how she was repeatedly cursed by the President, who even threatened to have her jailed, just to silence her.
But De Lima reiterated that she was willing to be arrested and jailed fighting for the truth.
“Ipapakulong daw ako (I am to be jailed, it is said), if it’s a price for standing up for the truth then I’m honored to be jailed. I challenged him (Duterte) already last week. Arrest me now,” she said. CDG/rga