Duterte knows why I should be freed, says De Lima

Detained Senator Leila de Lima lashed President Rodrigo Duterte once again on Tuesday, saying that he is pretending to be clueless on why the senator deserves to be released.

This was after Duterte responded to Asian women leaders’ demand to free De Lima with “On what grounds?”

De Lima, confident, said that the president surely knows why she should be freed.

“On the grounds that the charges against me are all fabricated, based on the perjured statements of convicted felons; that even the perjured testimonies they provided are grossly inadequate to support the finding of probable cause; that the charges filed are even inconsistent with what little evidence the prosecution has; and, most of all, this is all part of my political persecution for daring to stand up for human rights and against EJKs,” she said.

Meanwhile, when Duterte was asked about his thoughts on De Lima’s alleged involvement in the drug smuggling, he just answered that the “case is already in court.”

Duterte’s answer was then seen by De Lima as a way of trying to vainly clean his name, saying “The President is attempting to surreptitiously, yet futilely, kick dirt to cover his crime by backtracking on his constant public lashings and attacks against me.”

Unwaveringly, De Lima added that “The president knows what he and his men have done. And he knows he has the power to order prosecutors to withdraw the cases against me in order to rectify a monumental wrong. Unfortunately, he does not have the guts to man up to it, and do what is right—free an innocent woman, and stop the killings of his own people.”

(DAILY NEWS ROUND UP FOR 09/ 06 / 17)