De Lima says Duterte ‘no Ninoy’

Senator Leila de Lima (Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

By Wilnard Bacelonia, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – Former Senator Leila de Lima on Monday rejected comparisons to slain democracy icon Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., after Vice President Sara Duterte warned her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, of possible arrest should he return to the Philippines.

In a Facebook post, de Lima said Aquino “returned to the Philippines knowing it could cost him his life,” calling his sacrifice an act of courage for “the nation, for democracy, for the Filipino people.”

“Duterte’s drama today is nothing but a desperate attempt to escape accountability,” de Lima wrote.

“Justice isn’t swayed by melodrama, only by truth. And history will always know the difference,” she added.

Her post was in response to remarks made by the Vice President on Sunday during a meet-and-greet event with Filipino supporters in The Hague, Netherlands.

During the event, the younger Duterte said she told her father that his desire to go home would also be the end of his life, just like Ninoy Aquino.

The former president is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands to face crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC). He was arrested by the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol and local police on March 11, 2025.