Senator Leila de Lima should consider suicide or resignation from office for alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade, President Duterte declared yesterday.
The President launched fresh attacks against De Lima, one of her staunchest critics in the fight against drugs, saying she has already lost face before the nation amid her suspected drug connections and immoral behavior.
“If I were De Lima, ladies and gentlemen, I’ll hang myself,” the President said during a visit in Tacloban, Leyte.
“Your life, hindi lang life, the innermost of your core as a female is being serialized everyday. Dapat kang mag-resign. You resign. Wala ka ng mukha eh,” Duterte added.
The President also criticized De Lima for not setting a good example to other women. “Follow me sabihin mo? This is how to be a woman of the world?” he asked the senator.
Duterte was still hurt by De Lima’s attempt to pin him down for the vigilant killings when he was mayor in Davao City. He said De Lima accused him of leading the Davao Death Squad but failed to produce evidence. He said he told De Lima that DDS actually stood for “Davao Development System” but she interpreted it the wrong way.
Despite his tough campaign against drugs and crime, Duterte made clear that he has no desire to kill a fellow Filipino. “Sino ba gusto pumatay ng kapwa mo? You think it’s easy to kill a fellow human being? You build a nation over the bones of your countrymen?” he said.
The President recently said De Lima’s political career is “finished” after a drug matrix showed her alleged involvement in the drug activities inside the state penitentiary.
Duterte also blasted De Lima for posturing as crusader for good government but has allegedly committed immorality that led to serious violations of the law. He earlier revealed that De Lima had an illicit affair with her married driver, who allegedly became her bag man for the drug money.
De Lima has strongly denied the President’s allegations. (GENALYN KABILING)
