US believes ‘lies’ about de Lima’s case: Duterte

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers a speech during the conferment ceremony of the Order of National Scientist on Dr. Emil Javier at the Malacañan Palace on January 7, 2020. ALFRED FRIAS/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte is dismayed that the United States’ (US) Senate believed in the “lies” peddled by his critics, including the Liberal Party (LP), regarding the case of detained Senator Leila de Lima.

The President issued the statement as he announced that he declined US President Donald Trump’s invitation to attend a summit with him and nine other Southeast Asian leaders in Las Vegas on March 4.

Duterte, in an exclusive interview with Russia Today, said he is disappointed that US lawmakers have sided with the opposition and considered the drug-related cases against de Lima as “trumped-up charges.”

“You see, the opposition and the communists got together to invest (in) these issues about (former justice) secretary de Lima receiving money by way of campaign contributions from the drug lords in this country,” he said.

“And the Americans simply do not believe that a (former) Secretary of Justice is (capable) of receiving money to finance or to ensure the victory. And they rode on the issue that it is a trumped-up charges, (as claimed) by the opposition, the Yellow, the Liberals, and by the communists. And so they started to believe in the lies of the opposite side,” he added.

His remarks came following his previous claim that the Liberal Party and the communist movement are conniving to topple his administration.

His statement also came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to a provision inserted in the US 2020 budget, has been authorized to prevent the entry to Washington of Philippine officials linked to de Lima’s detention.

De Lima, who has been detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center at Camp Crame in Quezon City since February 2017, has repeatedly claimed that she is a victim of political persecution.

However, the government has insisted that de Lima is facing drug-related charges due to her supposed role in the drug proliferation inside the national penitentiary during her stint as justice secretary.

Duterte reiterated his warning that he would impose a visa application for all US citizens, in the event that Washington bars Filipino officials who have a hand in de Lima’s arrest.

“I counter that then. If you do that, then, I will not allow the Americans to enter the Philippines without a visa. They should get a visa from our embassies there. As of now, they come and enter as if they own the place,” he said.

Earlier, Duterte barred US Senators Richard Durbin, Patrick Leahy, and Edward Markey due to their persistent calls for the Philippine government to immediately release de Lima.

In December last year, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said any form of pressure by other states that is tantamount to interference in the Philippines’ established justice system “shall be reciprocated in accordance with our municipal law, as well as public international law or the law of the nations.”

Duterte, however, made it clear that he still has a good relationship with Trump, whom he considers as a “nice person.”

“But I would never do it to Trump because he’s a very nice person. Actually, Trump is a nice person. It’s just his style of doing things,” the President said.