Dispatch from Crame No. 430:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement in further solidarity
with Bishop Ambo. DEFY. RESIST FIGHT...

Two recent articles on Duterte's attacks on Bishop Pablo Virgilio "Ambo" David, one by his older brother, Prof. Randy David, and the other one by Prof. Tony La Vina, urge us to respond to the attacks by not letting ourselves be defeated by fear and by defending and protecting Bishop Ambo. These are the only ways to fight Duterte's abominable acts of slandering and threatening the life of Bishop Ambo.

Of course, it would be foolish for Duterte to martyr Bishop Ambo. It would be the end of him if he makes the mistake of carrying out his threat against the bishop. But we cannot wait for that to happen. We must act now and continue to fight Duterte's attacks on human rights defenders and critics.

Duterte wants to instill fear among us by creating a violent society where anyone can be killed anytime. The threat is already pervasive, especially among those who continue to resist and oppose him. There is nothing sacred to him, not even a Bishop whose only fault is to care for the families of the victims of extra-judicial killings.

Bishop Ambo has incurred Duterte's ire because of his relentless fight for the poor and the defenseless. Duterte hates those who love and care for the poor because he hates the poor. He only has contempt for them. He rejoices at the bloodbath that engulfs them in their urban communities.

Bishop Ambo is among the few remaining leaders who have exemplified courage in defending the poor against Duterte's drug war. He is a symbol of hope in these despairing times. He is a light in the darkness of Duterte's reign of murder and bloodshed. He embodies the prayer for a future that is free from the clutches of a murderous tyrant. Because of this, I, too, stand with Bishop Ambo in his fight for the poor and the powerless.

Defy. Resist. Fight. This is the clarion call of the times.