MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Leila De Lima on Tuesday countered a new batch of accusations by the administration, saying evidence being thrown against her are fake but killings in Davao City are real.
De Lima, a human rights lawyer, lamented that the real issue are the deaths of thousands which she described as “tragic.” She said these acts continue unbated, but Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre's proof of her involvement in the drug trade are bogus.
“Secretary Aguirre's alleged evidence against me is like his toupee, his wig—fake and cosmetics only,” De Lima said in a statement.
“There is nothing into it other than that. Nothing's authentic. What is real however are the killings,” she added.
De Lima said so-called vigilantes are getting bolder while the victims are getting younger. She formerly chaired the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights and led the hearings on the rising number of drug-related killings.
Instead of pinning her to alleged drug links, De Lima urged the Department of Justice to focus on probing syndicates which involve minors in drug pushing. She cited there are 20,584 minors were reportedly exploited into drug use and peddling.
“At this point, the Justice Department should instead focus its efforts in investigating and prosecuting the syndicates—the real culprits—who force these minors to go into drug pushing,” she said.
Aguirre has claimed his camp has enough evidence against De Lima, citing the testimonies of the convicted inmates of National Bilibid Prisons who claimed she benefited from the illegal trade. Aguirre said the testimony of Benjamin Magalong, the former chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, strengthened the case being built against De Lima.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday likewise said he is sure De Lima will land in jail because of the testimonial evidence against her. He said he got hold of the evidence when she asked De Lima to hang herself a month ago.
De Lima hit back after Duterte’s tirades by describing him as the “lowest” and the”vilest” man in the country.