Dispatch from Crame No. 906:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima's reaction to the grant of pardon to Pemberton

9/8/20

How many times has Mr. Duterte taken the side against justice for our people?

He refused to close our country to China when the pandemic was exploding in Wuhan.

He said nothing when our fishermen were being harassed and attacked by Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

He kept Sec. Duque in office, in spite of clear evidence of mismanagement and corruption in the DOH and PhilHealth.

He allows Nur Misuari to run free and link up with Abu Sayyaf even as families cry for justice for the Zamboanga Siege.

He has done practically nothing to rebuild Marawi after his war leveled the homes of thousands of our Muslim brethrens.

He refuses to void the contracts of Chinese companies that participate in the Chinese reclamation in the West Philippine Sea.

He deprived our country of a critical media institution who caters to millions in the farthest reaches of our archipelago and employs thousands all over the country just for the sheer politics of it.

He continues to ignore the plea for justice of the tens of thousands of victims of extrajudicial killings.

Now, Mr. Duterte just granted absolute pardon to Scott Pemberton and acted as if our country owed him time allowance for his early release. We don't. It is Pemberton who owes our country a full sentence for murdering one of our own.

Another abuse of a presidential power or prerogative; and an affront to the ideals of true and complete justice.

Si Duterte lang yata ang pangulo na hindi pumapanig sa sarili niyang sambayanan. Hanggang kailan pa ba titiisin ng ating bayan ang katrayduran na ito? ###

(Access the handwritten version of Dispatch from Crame No. 906, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_no._906)