Press Release
September 13, 2021

Dispatch from Crame No. 1147:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Duterte's diversionary tactic; Let him tremble in fear

Duterte is on a rampage. Despite that, all that he can come up with against Sen. Gordon is his ties with the Phil. National Red Cross, which everybody knows. With Sen. Drilon, he again draws out his fictitious drug accusation against Mayor Jed Mabilog, and that because Sen. Drilon knows the Iloilo Mayor, then he must be guilty too. In the same malicious ad hominem manner, he also links Sen. Drilon to Napoles.

This is the picture of a man desperately flailing in the dark, cursing the ghosts around him that he himself created. If he is really convinced about all the accusations he is throwing at the senators, he has the whole government machinery behind him to file cases. He has already done that to me with fabricated criminal cases. Otherwise, those accusations are just loads of hot air.

In my experience, when Duterte and his government's ineptitude and anomalies are put on the spotlight, he masks his fear and panic by attacking those who criticize and investigate him.

We have all seen this act of cowardice and vindictiveness before. When I investigated him during his term as Mayor on his link to the Davao Death Squad, and when I initiated the probe on EJKs brought about by his murderous drug war, he spewed lies upon lies about me. At dahil galit na galit, hindi pa nakuntento sa paninira, ginamit pa niya ang buong makinarya ng estado para ipakulong ako sa gawa-gawang mga kaso.

Duterte once again showed this behavior when he attacked fellow Senators for conducting a corruption probe on his government. He berated Sen. Pacquiao when he called out reported irregularities in the DSWD's aid distribution and other suspected pandemic-related anomalies. He body-shamed, publicly lambasted and threatened Sen. Gordon, Sen. Lacson and Sen. Drilon with rehashed accusations for demanding accountability in the P8.6-B Pharmally heist hearing.

Gaano nga ba kalaki ang utang na loob nitong si Duterte sa mga gaya ni Michael Yang para ipagtanggol at pagtakpan niya? O mas tamang itanong: Gaano kalaki ang nakukubra nitong si Duterte sa anomalyang ito?

Alam na natin ang istilong ito ni Duterte. Mahigit limang taon na niya itong ginagawa. Pero hindi na dapat umubra ang ganitong paninindak ng isa na ngayong lame duck. The Senate must keep pressing where it hurts and ignore Duterte's panic-stricken late-night diatribes.

Habang palapit nang palapit na ang katapusan ng kanyang termino, kitang-kita ang pagiging desperado niyang magpakabayani para sa mga kagaya niyang manggagantso. Sige lang, magmukmok ka lang at mangatog sa takot.

(Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_from_crame_no._1147)

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