De Lima ‘insensitive’ in blaming soldiers for Mindanao blasts

De Lima, a staunch critic of the President, is currently detained in Camp Crame, Quezon City over drug charges. (File Photo: Leila de Lima/ Facebook)

MANILA — Detained Senator Leila de Lima is “insensitive’ for blaming security forces for failing to prevent the bombings, which took place in Mindanao last month, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made this remark after de Lima questioned what the country’s intelligence assets were doing and where the funds were spent for being unable to prevent the tragedy.

Panelo slammed the lawmaker for opting to be “indifferent” to soldiers instead of giving them support and consoling the families of those who were killed during the explosions.

“Instead of giving words of support to the ground forces in Mindanao and consoling the bereaved loved ones of those who perished in the bombing incident, which is the least she could have done, she opted to be indifferent if not callous to the military men who were killed in the line of duty as well as to the bravery of our soldiers who are ferociously hunting the terrorists and risking their lives in pursuing the barbaric criminals to bring them to justice,” Panelo said in a statement.

He said being unable to detect the terrorists is not enough reason for her to blame the intelligence community.

“The fact that the soldiers were not able to detect the terrorists who disguised themselves as churchgoers is no reason for this criminally accused legislator to be so insensitive as to blame them for the tragedy,” he added.

‘Irrelevant political entity’

Panelo also branded de Lima as an “irrelevant political entity” for trying to reenter public consciousness by claiming that the President could not protect the people against terrorists.

“Having lost a venue in the halls of Congress for her attacks on the President, and having become an irrelevant political entity, she tries to reenter the public’s consciousness by dishing out reckless and offensive rants against the President reducing herself into a pathetic figure and a pitiful caricature,” Panelo said.

He reminded de Lima that it was during Duterte’s term when the Islamic State-inspired Maute Group, which wreaked havoc in Marawi City, were crushed.

“She claims that the President cannot protect the people from the terrorists with his threatening words, forgetting that this is the same President who crushed the dreaded and ruthless ISIS and their local counterparts in the Marawi siege,” Panelo said.

“This is also the same President who has declared a war on drugs, criminality and corruption and gained headway in all those fronts by his swift action and enforcement of the law, without fear or favor,” he added.

Panelo also defended the imposition of martial law in Mindanao anew saying that without it, the entire Mindanao would have been in chaos with bombings and killings a daily occurrence.

Meanwhile, he described the detained senator as having “dulled” senses from being confined for over two years.

“The detained Senator Leila de Lima is talking nonsense. Her confinement has dulled her senses,” Panelo said.

He pointed out that de Lima would be better off “indulging herself in meditation and prayers.”

In her dispatch, de Lima also supported calls for an independent investigation into the bombings in Jolo, Sulu and Zamboanga for fear of cover-up and white wash.

De Lima, a staunch critic of the President, is currently detained in Camp Crame, Quezon City over drug charges.