Dispatch From Crame No. 880:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the Designation of Cabinet Secretaries as "Big Brothers" to LGUs in the High-Risk Areas Under MECQ

This is this sorry-excuse-for-a-government's latest move towards fulfilling an Orwellian nightmare.

George Orwell's "1984" was a cautionary tale against the supreme authority of a totalitarian state, which the Davao Government seems bent on imitating, explaining to the public that the designated Cabinet secretaries were simply "Big Brothers" to the mayors. Napaghahalataan naman kayo masyado.

When they likened the strategy to the government's fight against insurgency, the premise behind such a move becomes clear.

Let me repeat myself. This is not an insurgency! Hindi rebelde o terorista, o ordinaryong mamamayan ang kalaban natin kundi virus. Hindi maaaring ilapat na lang basta-basta ang istratehiyang pandigma sa suliraning pangkalusugan tapos aasahan na ito'y tutugma.

The Duterte administration has never been one to conceal their motives. Those of us who are living this nightmare know that all they want is more power over their constituents and they literally have had only one card up their sleeves this entire time.

Ganito talaga ang mangyayari kapag ang Pangulo mo ay utak-pulbura at trigger happy, who are surrounded by political clowns running around clueless, with their guns tucked tightly by their waists, and their brains are impervious to science and solid medical studies.

They would rather be rulers than leaders. "Huwag niyo na isipin, basta sumunod na lang kayo." It's their way, or the highway.

Kung tutuusin, mas marami pang nagagawa ang mga mayor kumpara sa pamahalaang nasyonal sa pagsugpo ng pandemyang ito. Their innovative efforts to stem the virus may have managed to bruise the national leaders' fragile egos - calling them names, having their rabid troll farm attack them for everything they failed to do, and threatening some mayors with prosecution.

Let the LGUs have real autonomy. Sila ang mas nakakaalam sa sitwasyon ng kani-kanilang mga lugar. Listen to them. Learn from them. Do not suppress their voices. Hindi dahil naungusan at nasapawan eh ituturing niyo silang kalaban at papalabasing kontrabida. Enough with licking your bruised egos. Hindi ito laro, kaya huwag kayong pikon. This is a global pandemic, and the Filipino people deserve better leaders and an effective government.

(Access the handwritten copy of Dispatch from Crame No. 880 here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_no._880)