Dispatch from Crame No. 487: Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement on Digong's tirades vs Mar Roxas

Duterte's rants against Sec. Mar only show that the president is still insecure of his former rival. He already won in the 2016 elections yet still chose to unleash his vicious tongue against the erstwhile presidentiable-turned-senatorial candidate this coming May polls.

Why the need to lash out? It's because the President and his chosen candidates could not match Mar's integrity. After all, who are the President and his family endorsing? Two plunderers, a liar who couldn't even be honest with her credentials, the enforcer of his diabolic anti-drug campaign, an ultimate epal who shamelessly uses public funds for his campaign and a lying sore loser in the last elections, just to name a few.

Never in recent history have we seen a sitting President directly lambast, in foul and annoying language, the opposition because he is unsure of the credibility and worthiness of his own slate. He attacks Otso Diretso to pull them down because his candidates have no qualities worth raising.

The irony, his allies supposedly already have good numbers in the surveys. So why does he still need to attack the opposition?

Mr. President, it seems that you lack confidence over the same surveys that gave you high trust ratings and catapulted your favorite candidate from obscurity to the magic 12 of the Senate race. This is why you still need to whip out that forked tongue of yours just to pull down the rivals of your allies.

Imbes na siraan mo ang mga kandidato ng oposisyon, tumutok ka na lang sa mga suliranin ng bansa tulad ng tubig, kuryente, bigas, pabahay at sapat na pasahod. Ang mamamayan ay uhaw sa pagbabago pero mas pinili mong atakihin ang mga kandidato ng Otso Diretso na sina Sec. Mar, Sen. Bam, Cong. Gary, Dean Chel, Samira, Atty. Pilo, Atty. Macaromy at Atty. Erin na tumututol sa iyong mga di-makataong polisiya.

There are real problems waiting for long-term solutions. Stop the petty and shallow politicking and get back to work!