President Duterte yesterday said Senator Leila De Lima should take a vacation to avoid a “nervous breakdown.”
“I think she’s breaking down. I would suggest that she takes days off . . . if she continues yakking there . . . she will have a nervous breakdown,” the Chief Executive said in a press conference before he left for Vietnam.
De Lima earlier dared the President to immediately arrest and put her in jail amid charges linking her to the illegal drugs trade in the national penitentiary.
But Duterte dismissed the Senator’s challenge.
“Anong gawain ko sa kanya? I-recommend ko siya sa… anong – Viva Films o ‘yun sa ABS-CBN na kahapon lamang,” he said.
The President further said that- “in all sincerity, as a human being I think honestly, I’m not trying to derogate her. She’s a lawyer. She’s bright.”
According to Duterte, De Lima was the chairperson of the Human Rights for many years and was also Secretary of Justice for many years, and has been a senator for a time now. And “in all of these events in her life, she talked about me harping on extrajudicial killings.”
Yet, the President said that to date, no case has been filed against him.
“I was investigated once by the [rapporteur] Philip Alston. And she wants to have me investigated again by the UN anew… ako ‘yun, ako ‘yun inapi-api niya,” Duterte said.
He went on say that except for De Lima’s alleged links to the drugs operations in the new Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City, the most serious charges against her could be that drug money was used to fund her senatorial bid.
“I think the most serious charge against her is the portals of the national government has been opened by her election as senator because of the drug money,” said Duterte.
He noted that 92 percent of the total barangays in the Philippines are affected by drugs.
And that, the President said, is the reason is why he favored the postponement of the barangay elections.
“Drug money will flow down to the basic unit, the barangays and it will strengthen the hold of narco-politics now existing in our country,” said Duterte.
“It behooves upon me, it behooves upon me to tell you what is the truth and prevent something catastrophic in the future. Four million drug addict, I said is no joke, my God,” he added. (ELENA ABEN)