De Lima slams Duterte's "hubris" remark on his 3-6 months drug war deadline

Re-electionist Senator Leila M. de Lima slammed Duterte's recent remark admitting that he was wrong to claim as his 2016 campaign promise that he could end the illegal drug trade in the country in three (3) to six (6) months.

De Lima, the staunchest critic of the administration's war on drugs, said Duterte's statement is a proof that his war on drugs is a complete failure because its only accomplishment is the death of thousands of suspected drug offenders. "Dahil sa kapritso at kayabangan ni Duterte, libo-libo ang pinatay, pawang mga mahihirap, mga bata at inosenteng walang kalaban-laban. Mga pinagkaitan ng karapatang ipagtanggol ang sarili sa korte. Mga musmos na pinagkaitang mangarap at makamit ang pangarap. Mga pamilyang nagluksa, at hanggang ngayon ay patuloy na nangungulila at naghahanap ng hustisya," De Lima said.

"Sa simula pa lang, sinabi ko nang hindi dahas ang solusyon sa droga. Na kung sumisira man ng buhay ang droga, ay hindi kailangang pumatay para puksain ito. Pero hindi nakinig si Duterte. Nagawa pa nila akong siraan at ipakulong nang base sa kasinungalingan. Pagkatapos ng anim na taon, anong napala ng bansa?" she asked.

During a public appearance in Cebu, Duterte reportedly acknowledged it could be "hubris" that motivated him to promise to end in three to six months the problem of illegal narcotics in the country.

"Sinasabi ko I can clean it in six months. Then after that, I realized na nagkamali talaga ako ... Maybe it's hubris. It was campaign time. Payabangan naman 'yang kampanya," Duterte said.

He further claimed that he was wrong to have underestimated the country's problem with illegal drugs, alleging he was then unaware of the involvement of some members of the Philippine National Police's top leadership in the narcotics trade.

De Lima stressed that Duterte's remark should remind Filipinos to properly discern the promises of all the candidates for the upcoming national elections to not fall into the lies spewed by deceptive politicians who want to win people's heart.

"Let us be critical in choosing our next leaders to avoid ending up with another Duterte. Lalo na yung mga nagsasabing itutuloy at nagagandahan pa sa ginawa ni Duterte.

"When we look at the platform of candidates, let's take some time to reflect and ask ourselves questions like, 'Is this plan realistic? 'Is this candidate sincere?' Mahirap kung puro yabang at pangako lang, pero wala naman nagawa at wala sa tama," she said.

"Let us vote for candidates with sincerity and respect for human rights. Sa susunod na anim na taon, hindi na natin maaatim ang mga manloloko, ang mga mamamatay-tao, at mga corrupt. Let us vote wisely, for our country, for the people!" she added.

This 18th Congress, De Lima reintroduced a measure, logged as Senate Bill (SB) No. 371, seeking to define and criminalize acts that constitute extrajudicial killings and ensure accountability for said crimes.

It may also be recalled that De Lima filed a communication with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in October 2017 to complement the communications submitted by the late Atty. Jude Sabio, and former lawmakers Antonio "Sonny" Trillanes IV and Gary Alejano against Duterte.

The communication included statements of self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato and retired police officer Arturo Lascañas, that they killed people in Davao City upon the orders of then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

"Hindi sapat ang pag-amin ni Duterte na nagkamali sya sa sinasabi nyang 3-6 months. Hindi nun maibabalik ang libo-libong buhay na kanilang pinatay. Kailangan siyang panagutin, kasama ang mga kasabwat niya't mga alipores," De Lima said.