Press Release
December 8, 2016

SEN. LEILA M. DE LIMA'S STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT DUTERTE'S ADMISSION TO ORDER THE MURDER OF ALBUERA MAYOR ROLANDO ESPINOSA SR.

The President, in a speech yesterday, said: "Hindi ko pababayaan ang mga pulis na ito dahil ako ang may utos," referring to the CIDG team who, according to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), summarily executed Mayor Rolando Espinosa. That is an admission that he is the mastermind of such extra-judicial killing (EJK).

That says it all about the EJK phenomenon. Together with Edgar Matobato's testimony on the Davao Death Squad (DDS), Duterte's admission seals his fate as the Father of all EJKs, first in Davao City, now throughout the entire Philippines, with the number of his victims now beyond the five thousand mark, and still rising.

This also means that P/Supt. Marvin Marcos et al. comprise part of the expanded DDS, which is now national in scope and operation. Nothing can be clearer than that. What we now have is a Presidential Death Squad.

The changes in Sen. Richard Gordon's EJK Report which I was not allowed to read and sign before it was released yesterday are now in order. There is no more basis to dismiss Matobato's testimony or to clear the President of his role in the EJKs. I think this also puts to a close the Senate investigation on who ordered the killing of Mayor Espinosa. Now we all know that the order and command to murder Espinosa in cold blood came from none other than the President himself.

People of the Philippines, your President is a murderer.

God bless us all in this season of Jesus Christ's birth, to remind us of our humanity as a religious and God-fearing people, whether as Christians or Muslims. Let us pray that our President finally sees the light and puts a stop to all the killings in time for Christmas.

Let us pray that our President starts fearing God and respecting the gift of life in this season of love and hope.

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