De Lima lashes at Duterte while Church, Palace call for healing

Senator Leila De Lima gestures during a press conference at the Senate before she was arrested and detained on drug charges. INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Senator Leila de Lima said the nation’s healing would start from being aware of its wounds, which she said, was caused by President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

De Lima issued the statement on Sunday morning, hours before the slated “Lord Heal Our Land” mass at 3 p.m. at the Edsa Shrine, led by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

The mass, which would be followed by a procession to the People Power Monument, will launch CBCP’s “Start the Healing” campaign from November 5 to December 8.

READ: Church calls on public to participate in ‘Lord Heal Our Land Sunday’

“Paano nga ba simulan ang paghilom? Masisimulan lamang ito sa pagkamulat at sa pagmumulat sa ating mga kababayan ukol sa tunay na sanhi ng sugat — walang iba kundi ang War on Drugs ng rehimeng Duterte,” the detained senator said.

“Malinaw na ito ang dahilan ng pagdanak ng dugo, ang patakarang pumatay hindi lamang sa mahigit 13,000 mahihirap na Pilipino, kundi kumikitil din sa ating demokrasya at sa diwa ng ating pagka-Pilipino,” she added.

De Lima said healing would come from attaining justice.

“Makakamtan lang din ang tuluyang paghilom sa pagkakaroon ng hustisya. Sa patuloy na panggigipit at pagtapak sa aking mga karapatan ng rehimeng ito, hindi ko po maiwasang makaramdam ng galit sa pagpapakulong sa akin nang walang kasalanan, at ng sakit at lungkot na hindi makapiling ang aking pamilya,” she said.

“Ngunit sa akin din pong pag-iisa at nararanasang kawalan ng hustisya, lalo ko ring naunawaan ang hinagpis at pagdurusa ng mga naulilang kapamilya ng mga biktima ng War on Drugs,” she added.

De Lima is detained while facing drug charges for allegedly coddling drug lords at the national penitentiary and collecting millions of pesos in drug money. She allegedly used the drug money to finance her candidacy for the Senate in 2016.

She remains in jail after the Supreme Court voted 9-6 to uphold her arrest on drugs charges.

READ: Supreme Court rejects De Lima petition to quash drug charges

In a statement on Sunday, Malacañang has also expressed its support for the Catholic church’s campaign.

“We are one in the true healing of this nation that has long been divided by politics. We must come together as one country and one people and help the government in building a nation free from drugs, criminality and corruption,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said. /cbb

READ: Malacañang calls for ‘true healing’ towards a drug-free Philippines