Filipinos are being deprived of knowledge on the true state of President Duterte’s physical and mental health due to the Supreme Court’s complicity, detained opposition Sen. Leila de Lima claimed Saturday.

De Lima issued the stinging rebuke to  Duterte, her bitter political enemy, after the unedited audio recording of the President's address before military officers and men in Sulu recently surfaced.

This episode, according to De Lima, ‘’reveals not only the two-faced persona of the man but also the reprehensible propaganda machine that this regime operates on full blast, to hide the unvarnished truth from the Filipino people.’’

This, according to her, ‘’shows that even the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) cannot trust their own President in his public speeches, that they had to sort through his ramblings and edit out parts so that the media and the general public would be given a washed-out and tamer version of the state of mind that this sick man has.’’

‘’Then comes the ever so lively presidential spokesperson who “interprets” and magnifies the "polished" statements of his boss, so he can survive through the questions asked by eager, truth-seeking reporters in daily press conferences,’’ she added,  referring to presidential spokesman Harry Roque. 

Ito malamang ang dahilan kung bakit hatinggabi o madaling araw na ipinalalabas ang mga taped pronouncements ni Duterte. Bukod sa wala talaga siyang respeto sa oras natin, kailangang 'ayusin' at 'retokehin' pa ito para magmukhang matino at 'on top of his game' siya (This could be the reason why the President’s taped pronouncements are shown at midnight or early morning. Aside from his lack of respect for the rights of the governed not to be disturbed at nights, his subordinates need the time to edit his speaking engagements to make him a sane man and on top of his game),’’ she added.

‘’I wonder what garbage he really churns out in those COVID-19 government response meetings with the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) members,’’ De Lima said.