Duterte’s bark makes De Lima turn to her dogs

Senator Leila de Lima. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/Philippine Daily Inquirer

Whenever Sen. Leila de Lima wants a respite from being the administration’s favorite punching bag, she turns to her best stress busters—her 13 dogs.

The former justice secretary, who is in hot water for alleged links to the illegal drug trade at New Bilibid Prison (NBP), bared her soft side to Miriam College students on Friday, but not before giving an impassioned speech about sexism and misogyny, targeting her nemesis, President Duterte.

This was De Lima’s third speaking engagement before university students centering on women’s rights and human dignity.

The last query toward the end of an open forum with students and faculty members helped ease the tension: What does Senator Leila do in her spare time?

“My No. 1 stress buster is my dogs. I have 13!” she said, drawing applause from the packed auditorium.

De Lima said her dogs included labradors, jack russels, chihuahuas and dachshunds.

But her favorite is Coco, a Japanese Spitz—a breed known for its thick fur and playfulness.

“Coco is so intelligent, but so jealous that he is the only one who sleeps in my bedroom,” De Lima said.

Her first canine companion was a golden brown labrador named Kirby, who turned her into a dog lover. De Lima said she became really depressed when Kirby died in 2012. “It’s so hard to lose them,” she said.

Going to the market and cooking also are stress-relievers, she said.

Good cook

“I’m a very good cook. You should especially try my laing,” she said, referring to one of the favorite dishes of Bicolanos like her.

Singing and dancing also helps her loosen up, but she declined to give a sample performance.

The senator’s light demeanor was in stark contrast to her usual fighting mood, especially after the House inquiry into the drug trade at NBP.

“I am not the queen of the drug trade at Bilibid. I am not the mother of drug lords,” she said.

The senator said she was “Exhibit A” of those who are being “muzzled” for criticizing the administration.

Her 30-minute speech focused on the “character assassination” she has suffered and the invasion of her private life. She denounced the misogyny among some members of the administration and slammed the aborted plan to show an alleged sex video of her in the House. Rumors also spread that she had a romantic relationship with her former driver, Ronnie Dayan.

“The President tells me to hang myself, while he himself is a proud womanizer,” she said, flashing a photo of Mr. Duterte with a young woman on his lap taken during the campaign period.

“How do we teach our sons to be better than our President, or our congressmen?” she asked.

Her voice broke as she recalled the scathing attacks by her critics. She called Mr. Duterte’s “war on De Lima” a vendetta triggered by their dispute back in 2009.

She was then chair of the Commission on Human Rights which investigated extrajudicial killings in Davao when the President was mayor of the city.

“Who knew then that he was to be President, and I was going to be senator?” she said. “Now he is using, abusing and misusing the state apparatus to destroy me at all costs.”

Her battle with Mr. Duterte is her toughest and most difficult fight, but she isn’t backing down.

“My best defense is the truth. That’s why I am presenting myself to the people,” she said.

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