SEN. LEILA M. DE LIMA'S STATEMENT ON GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO ISSUE SUB POENA ORDER VS HER ON ALLEGED ILLEGAL DRUG PROLIFERATION INSIDE NEW BILIBID PRISON

I have no illusion about what I'm up against.

I am up against the belief that Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre can exhaust his powers and tap government resources to manufacture false evidence designed to link me to illegal drug trade. You and I know that he does not have a license to abuse his authority to smear my reputation and slander my integrity.

I am up against the government's deliberate efforts to undermine the accomplishments of the previous administration's campaign against illegal drugs. You and I know that this administration is singularly motivated to demonize its political opponents instead of confronting the illegal drug menace.

Sadly, we have a justice secretary who has a propensity for untruthful and thoughtless statements, for feeding us with lies and deceits, and for resorting to fabrication and forgery. These are what we have seen so far in the last four months since this administration has assumed office. The more they speak, the more their lies are exposed.

Since Day One, this administration has not provided solid evidence to substantiate their accusations other than malicious conjectures and manufactured lies. All they are good at is to talk and lambast me in public. But sooner than we thought, more and more people are now seeing through this administration's real motive, that is to keep me from talking about their continued disregard to human rights and dignity in the war against drugs.