De Lima: Duterte may face impeachment for extrajudicial killings

President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

Senator Leila de Lima on Thursday said President Rodrigo Duterte may face impeachment for killing drug suspects.

In an interview in Washington with CNN, De Lima said Duterte’s recent admission that he “personally” killed suspected criminals while he was Davao City mayor was a violation of the Constitution.

READ: Duterte: I personally killed drug suspects

“I should say that that is an impeachable offense. That is a culpable violation of the Constitution,” she said. “That is betrayal of public trust and that constitutes high crimes because these are mass murders.”

De Lima said “mass murders” are considered among “high crimes” and that “high crimes is a ground for impeachment under our Constitution.”

Duterte earlier told a group of business leaders that when he was still mayor, he would ride a big bike and patrol the streets “and [look] for trouble.’

“I know it because—I am not trying to pull my own chair—in Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the [policemen] that if I can do it, why can’t you?” he said.

De Lima, who has been Duterte’s staunch critic, said she is unfazed by the threats against her.

“I just have to really continue, to continue fighting,” she said.

More than 2,000 people have been killed in police operations since Duterte assumed power.

“I am hoping one day he (Duterte) is struck by his conscience and order the police to stop the killings. The moment it is done I am sure that killings would stop,” the senator said. RAM/rga