De Lima cries foul over planned subpoena

MANILA – Senator Leila de Lima has criticized the administration over the government's decision to summon her for her alleged involvement in the proliferation of illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

The Senator was responding to Aguirre's statement that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to issue a subpoena against de Lima and 18 others tagged in the anomalies inside the NBP.

De Lima is facing four complaints for graft and drug trafficking in the DOJ.

In a statement issued on Sunday, de Lima said that the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has failed to provide concrete evidences to prove their claim that she is the mother of all the drug syndicates operating in the country.

"Since day one, the administration has not provided a solid evidence to substantiate their accusations other than malicious conjectures and manufactured lies," de Lima said.

"All they are good at is to talk and lambast me in public," she added.

The Senator also lambasted Justice Secretary Vitalliano Aguirre II and called the evidences against her "lies and fabricated."

"Sadly, we have a Justice Secretary who has a propensity for untruthful and thoughtless statements, for feeding us with lies and deceits and for resorting to fabrication and forgery," the senator said.

De Lima believes that the administration's attacks against her are meant to keep her from talking about its continuous disregard to human rights in the war against illegal drugs.