(Eagle News) — A very agitated Senator Leila De Lima called on the public to rise up against President Rodrigo Duterte as she held a press conference where she ranted against the Philippine leader whom she called a “sociopathic serial killer,” a dictator, and a “criminal.”
She said the President was unfit to head the government and referred to the People Power that happened 31 years ago, which she said should be repeated today. The 31st anniversary of the Catholic-Church backed “People Power” revolution that toppled former President Ferdinand Marcos and installed Corazon Aquino as President is set on February 25.
The lady senator claimed that Duterte could be impeached for committing “other high crimes.”
De Lima’s press conference came after she had been charged with three drug-related crimes for allegedly coddling and even contributing to the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prisons while she was still the Department of Justice secretary.
Citing testimonies from NBP inmates themselves, the drug charges against De Lima said that the former justice chief instructed the NBP inmates to conduct illegal drug transactions to finance her senatorial bid last year.
Among those who testified against her are Jaybee Sebastian, and other Chinese drug lords serving sentence inside the NBP.
Their testimonies were also heard over televised hearings in Congress.
Before this, it was the President who revealed De Lima’s alleged drug connections and coddling of illegal drug operations in the country, where he said top police officials and politicians had also been involved.
He also revealed her alleged string of lovers who included her former driver-bodyguard Ronnie Dayan and another bodyguard Joenel Sanchez who later came out to testify against her in a congressional drug inquiry.
A former deputy director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Rafael Ragos, also testified against the former justice secretary, saying he brought sums of money to her house in Paranaque City.
Ragos, who also served as chief of the Bureau of Correction (BuCor), and Dayan were among those co-accused in the drug charges filed by the DOJ against De Lima. The others are Franklin Bucayu, former BuCor director, Jose Adrian Dera. alias Jad De Vera, a nephew and close-in security detail of De Lima, former bodyguard Joenel Sanchez, Jaybee Sebastian, and alleged bagman of Bucayu, Col. Wilfredo Elli.
All were charged with violation of Section 5, in relation to Section 3(jj), Section 26(b) and Section 28 of Republic Act No. 9165, for the alleged proliferation of illegal drugs at the NBP during De Lima’s term as justice secretary.
De Lima’s presscon against Duterte on Tuesday was held a day after her drug cases had been raffled off to three courts at the Muntinlupa regional trial court (RTC). The senator has already filed a motion to quash the cases, claiming regular courts have no jurisdiction against her since she was a government official at the time of the commission of the alleged crimes.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said they have an airtight case against De Lima that would ensure her conviction because of the direct testimonies and eyewitness accounts of those involved in the illegal drug transactions and money deliveries themselves.
The DOJ is seeking the issuance of an arrest warrant against De Lima.
Anti-crime crusaders led by Dante Jimenez of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) want De Lima to be jailed in a regular prison cell just like others charged with illegal drug transactions. He said many in the VACC were victims of crimes committed by illegal drug suspects. VACC was among the complainants against De LIma in the drug-related cases filed against her.
De Lima, on the other hand, claimed to have the backing of the Catholic Church, various human rights and women’s groups, and other former government officials who had served under the Aquino administration, who had also figured in the 1986 EDSA People Power revolution.
(Eagle News Service)