Sen. Leila M. de Lima has nothing to worry about her safety while in police custody but ought to pray for “another truth” to come out, President Duterte said yesterday.
The President assured that De Lima is “100 percent safe” during her detention in Camp Crame, Quezon City pending a trial on drug charges.
“I assure that she is safe. I think people are interested not to see her death but to see her in prison for what she did,” the President said in a media interview in Malacanang.
Asked about his message to De Lima, Duterte said: “Well, she can always pray that the truth will come out eventually if there is another truth.”
De Lima earlier expressed concern about her safety in the national police headquarters following her arrest for alleged involvement in the illegal drugs trade at the national penitentiary. The former Justice Secretary has denied the charges and protested the complaint as political persecution to silence critics of Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.
In the wake of criticisms the case against De Lima was politically motivated, the President left to the court to decide on the fate of the senator.
“We leave it to the judgment of the nation to see who is lying and who is not. Nandiyan naman tayong lahat who are all part of the audience of what was evolving. So I’ll leave it to the courts,” he said.
Duterte explained that he would not comment on De Lima’s case in deference to the rules of court. “I would not want to violate the standard operating procedures in court. You are not supposed to be giving your opinion while the case is pending. The court has taken jurisdiction. It is already the property of the court by virtue of a warrant,” he added. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)