Aguirre hits De Lima for filing complaint against him

MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Saturday, July 15, shot back at detained Senator Leila de Lima who this week filed a criminal and administrative complaint against him before the Office of the Ombudsman.

“She is just trying to be relevant.

 Unlike her who has consistently anchored her defense on bare denials and nothing more, we can refute her accusations with well-established proof of actions taken,” Aguirre said.

De Lima on Thursday, July 13, filed a complaint against Aguirre over alleged offenses ranging from failure to look into extrajudicial killings to fake news. She also accused Aguirre of forcing employees to turn against her.

Aguirre on Saturday said he will face De Lima’s accusations “in any forum.”

“Unlike her, who has consistently refused to recognize the jurisdiction of our courts over her in the drug cases she is currently facing, I will face her accusations against me in any forum,” he said.

De Lima was arrested and detained late February after the Department of Justice filed 3 counts of drug trade against her for supposedly extorting drug money from New Bilibid Prison convicts. 

“I will follow what our laws or rules state on jurisdiction and will not challenge it because I know I have not done anything wrong,” Aguirre added. – Rappler.com