De Lima blasts Duterte despite church call for healing

Detained Senator Leila de Lima barely a week after receiving the Liberal International’s 2017 Prize for Freedom for being a “flag-bearer” for human rights in the Philippines, is making her thoughts about the president.

The senator who is detained in Philippine National Police General Headquarters in Camp Crame issued a statement re the nation’s healing, this is hours before the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) call for “Lord Heal Our Land” mass in EDSA shrine.

The mass was intended to the ending of the senseless violence that is being blamed from the President’s brutal drug war which allegedly resulted to numerous extra judicial killings.  *

Senator Leila de Lima, one of the most vocal critic of the administrations drug war (Photo credit to South China Morning Post) 

“Paano nga ba simulan ang paghilom? Masisimulan lamang ito sa pagkamulat at sa pagmumulat sa ating mga kababayan ukol sa tunay na sanhi ng sugat — walang iba kundi ang War on Drugs ng rehimeng Duterte,” the detained senator said.

Malinaw na ito ang dahilan ng pagdanak ng dugo, ang patakarang pumatay hindi lamang sa mahigit 13,000 mahihirap na Pilipino, kundi kumikitil din sa ating demokrasya at sa diwa ng ating pagka-Pilipino,” she added.

The Senator claims that true heling will be attained through justice.

“Makakamtan lang din ang tuluyang paghilom sa pagkakaroon ng hustisya. Sa patuloy na panggigipit at pagtapak sa aking mga karapatan ng rehimeng ito, hindi ko po maiwasang makaramdam ng galit sa pagpapakulong sa akin nang walang kasalanan, at ng sakit at lungkot na hindi makapiling ang aking pamilya,” she said.

“Ngunit sa akin din pong pag-iisa at nararanasang kawalan ng hustisya, lalo ko ring naunawaan ang hinagpis at pagdurusa ng mga naulilang kapamilya ng mga biktima ng War on Drugs,” she added.

Senator de Lima, is currently detained for drug charges in connection of protecting drug lords at the New Bilibid Prisons, and has allegedly receive millions of pesos which are considered drug money. She was then the Secretary of the Department of Justice, appointed by then President Noynoy Aquino. She run for Senatorial seat in 2016 allegedly using the drug money to finance her campaign. *

Recently the Supreme Court voted 9-6 upholding her arrest on the drug charges.

Presidential Spokesperson in a statement  in Malacañan gave its support for the Catholic church’s campaign.

“We are one in the true healing of this nation that has long been divided by politics. We must come together as one country and one people and help the government in building a nation free from drugs, criminality and corruption,”  he said.

 

Report from PDI