Leila hits inconsistencies, laments ‘betrayal’
Sen. Leila de Lima slammed yesterday what she called glaring inconsistencies in the statements of witnesses in the House inquiry into the illegal drug trade in the National Bilibid Prison.
“I did not watch the entirety of my public hanging; It’s a spectacle that diverts us from more important national issues, and I don’t believe I am one,” she said, branding allegations linking her to the anomaly as a “web of lies and desperate attempts to implicate (her) as a corrupt public servant.”
The embattled lady senator lamented how a man she had trusted had, fallen into “the trap of power, deceit, fear and intimidation,” forcing him “to lie and twist truths to save (himself).”
An obviously emotional De Lima said: “As a woman, it breaks my heart that my private life and personal relationship have become subject of the public and Congress’ ridicule. No woman, whoever or whatever she may be, whether a sitting senator or a humble secretary, deserves to be betrayed, to be treated with so much disrespect and without dignity before the public eye, by any man she is with or had a relationship with.”
Before accusing her of being a “serial liar,” De Lima said Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and other allies of President Duterte should first look at themselves in the mirror and see who the true liars are.
De Lima said such tag from Alvarez and other Duterte allies come as no surprise as they had been tossing false accusations at her for a long time now.
“This statement just shows how narrow-minded House Speaker Alvarez really is. It also proves that the leader of the House of Representatives has already judged me even before the so-called inquiry in aid of legislation regarding the proliferation of illegal drugs in Bilibid,” De Lima said in Filipino.
Alvarez, De Lima pointed out, has been leading the propagation of lies against her.
She recalled how Alvarez himself had pushed for the showing of her purported sex video during the public hearing of the House justice committee, a move widely condemned by senators and other sectors.
“If this is how dirty Alvarez thinks, then I wouldn’t be surprised if he subjects me to more humiliation and indignities,” De Lima said.
She called Alvarez a clear reflection of his “Mahal ng Poong Duterte,” who is intent on shaming her in public on the basis of fabricated evidence.
“If we examine their allegations, we can immediately tell they have nothing much to show except testimonies from convicts and other personalities with personal motives – ready to tell lies and testify against me,” she said.
“Alvarez and like-minded people in Congress and in the executive branch should try to look at the mirror to see for themselves who really are crass, disrespectful to women, and true liars,” she added.
De Lima has denied allegations she had received millions of pesos from any drug lord or drug convict. But she admitted carrying on an affair with former driver-bodyguard Ronnie Dayan, tagged as her bagman for funds coming from convicted drug lords at the New Bilibid Prison.