De Lima: Maybe Duterte is No. 1 drug lord protector

MANILA, Philippines — After President Rodrigo Duterte’s admission that he reinstated the chief of the Crime Investigation and Detection Group Region 8 (CIDG-8), Sen. Leila De Lima on Saturday questioned the president’s credibility and thought of him as a possible top drug lord protector and coddler.

For De Lima, the president’s move should be subject to a Senate inquiry. She said Duterte’s admission only brought more questions than answers.

“After the Peter Lim episode, where a supposed drug lord kumpadre of the President is allowed to leave the country, we must start asking ourselves this question: whether or not the President, rather than De Lima, is actually the number one drug lord protector and coddler in the country,” the senator said in a statement.

“Let us once again start asking questions, for the truth to come out, and to put an end to Malacañang's factory of lies and Orwellian doublespeak,” she added.

To recall, Duterte last July named Cebu-based businessman Lim as one of the drug personalities being protected by the so-called narco-generals. He threatened to kill the businessman if proven guilty, however, Lim met with the president after he surrendered before the authorities and was given chance to prove himself.

Meanwhile, De Lima said she does not buy Duterte’s reason for reinstating CIDG-8 chief Superintendent Marvin Marcos. Duterte said he does not want to remove Marcos for he is involved and already being investigated.

De Lima said she already thought that Duterte was indirectly behind the reinstatement of Marcos after she revealed what her source told her that Presidential Management Staff head Christopher "Bong" Go is the “higher official” who called and ordered Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to reinstate Marcos.

The senator said Duterte had no choice but to own up to the directive instead of letting his "closest aide, trusted confidant and all-around go-to guy," Go, to be the fall guy in the incident. Go previously denied De Lima’s allegations saying he cannot even recall ever meeting Marcos.

“I don't believe for a single moment Duterte's cited reason for the reinstatement, that the President himself was hatching a cloak and dagger scheme to further entrap Marcos or his partners in the illegal drug trade,” De Lima said.

“We have had enough of these runaround explanations from Malacañang, and I'm sure there's a deeper and, possibly, a more sinister reason for the President's action. Otherwise, why would Gen. Bato go through this charade of pointing to a "kumpadre" instead of just admitting from the start that the President himself ordered the reinstatement?” the senator added.

Dela Rosa last Thursday hinted that the higher official who ordered for Marcos’ reinstatement was a “kumpare” or a friend.

RELATED: Bato: 'Kumpare' requested reinstatement of Kerwin's alleged drug protector | De Lima: Bong Go ordered reinstatement of CIDG-8 chief