Play Video

Senator Leila de Lima did not mince words against President Rodrigo Duterte for once again choosing to insult her in public instead of properly explaining why he had been missing in action in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The detained opposition senator said in a series of tweets late Monday night, April 12, that instead of ranting against her, the President should have fully devoted his public address that day to government efforts to address the pandemic that has been claiming lives in the country.

“Mr President, maawa ka naman sa taumbayan. Namamatay na mga mahal nila sa buhay ako pa rin ang problema mo?” De Lima tweeted.

(Mr President, please have mercy on the people. Their loved ones are dying and yet I am still your problem?)

De Lima – who has been detained for over four years over what she called trumped-up drug charges – tweeted her statement while the President’s late-night address was ongoing. Since De Lima is not allowed to use any electronic gadgets while in jail, her office manages her Twitter account.

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of over 15,000 Filipinos as of Monday. There are 175,451 active cases in the country.

In the same Twitter thread, De Lima told Duterte not to lie, pointing out that the President initially did not want to impose a travel ban on mainland China, where COVID-19 had originated a year ago. 

“Magtrabaho ka na lang Duterte. Kung nagtrabaho ka lang sana hindi tayo umabot sa ganito. Huwag ka na lang puro ngawngaw,” said De Lima. 

(Just work, Duterte. If you had been working, then we wouldn’t be where we are today. Stop whining.)

Duterte finally resurfaced on Monday night after his nearly two-week absence from the public eye, which raised questions about the true state of his health. 

The President dedicated a good chunk of his address mocking De Lima, claiming that his fiercest critic was supposedly rejoicing over rumors that he was sick.

In a bid to dispel the speculations about Duterte’s health, his longtime aide Senator Bong Go had posted a video of the President briefly jogging and golfing in Malacañang on Saturday, April 10. 

De Lima called out Duterte and Go for allegedly “misleading” the public about the President’s health

This did not sit well with Duterte, who told De Lima she “deserves” to stay in jail as she supposedly “disrespected” the Philippines by selling drugs in the national penitentiary – an allegation De Lima has repeatedly denied.

“’Pag binabastos ninyo ako, babastusin ko rin kayo. Kagaya kay De Lima. Tama ‘yan sa ’yo. Magtiis ka. Putangina mo. Binastos mo ang Pilipinas na droga diyan mismo sa national penitentiary,” said Duterte.

(If you will disrespect me, I will disrespect you too. Just like with De Lima. You deserve what happened to you. Deal with it. Son of a bitch. You disrespected the Philippines with your drug activities inside the national penitentiary.)

In February, a Muntinlupa court acquitted De Lima in one of the three charges against her. But the same court on March 5 dismissed her appeal in another case. A third case, still related to drugs, is pending in another court. – Rappler.com