President Rodrigo Duterte revived his attacks against Sen. Leila de Lima on Friday, saying she was “corrupting everybody” during her term as justice secretary.
“We were already a narco-politic country. And even si De Lima, totoo naman talaga, it’s all true. She was the highest official to be corrupted and she was corrupting everybody as the secretary of the justice department,” Duterte said in a business forum in Davao City.
READ: Duterte says De Lima played lead role in narcopolitics
“Yun ang masakit sa atin (It’s what hurtful to us). That is the most painful episode of the modern-day, our generation, has to endure,” he added.
De Lima has been one of the favorite punching bags of Duterte, accusing her of coddling high-profile inmates convicted of illegal drug violations inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
The Chief Executive said the senator received drug money to finance her senatorial bid.
The senator, who has been the topic of a series of congressional hearings, has repeatedly denied receiving a single centavo from illegal drugs or involvement in the drug trade. RAM/rga