De Lima says Duterte dangling 'drug czar' post just to shame Robredo
By Rica Arevalo
Published Nov 2, 2019 12:07 pm
By Mario Casayuran
Opposition Senator Leila de Lima said on Saturday the continuous dangling by President Duterte of the supposed "drug czar" Cabinet post for Vice President Leni Robredo was "both the saddest and stupidest things this administration has churned out lately."
Senator Leila de Lima (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
De Lima, former justice secretary during the Noynoy Aquino presidency, compared the presidential offer with the silly traps that Tom lays down for Jerry as he hides around the corner, hoping that Jerry would be dumb enough to jump on such an obvious ploy that any three-year-old can figure out.
She was referring to the ‘’Tom and Jerry’’ animated series.
De Lima explained that the offer was sad because ‘’many of our countrymen still don’t see that this two-bit former Mayor has taken us on for a ride and led us to believe that he has all the answers to all the problems of our country.’’
‘’As the other 2016 presidential candidates were guarded in their answers to policy questions during the campaign, Duterte had no qualms in promising the moon and the stars, in three to six months, as if his kissing of the Philippine flag and regular outbursts of sick jokes and curses grant him power over reality that no Philippine President had before,’’ she said.
De Lima stressed that President Duterte and his spokesman, Salvador Panelo, know that the decorated drug czar post would not be effective in winning his drug war brand.
‘’If it can, why didn’t he create such a post on his first days as President? Why create one now for VP Robredo, after three years of Tokhang and EJKs? If his gluttonous office (which is bursting at the seams with P4.5 billion confidential and intelligence funds that can’t seem to be enough to pay for all the assassins in the country) cannot stop the smuggling of billions of pesos of shabu (crystal meth) through the Bureau of Customs, then how can a measly Cabinet post fare better?’’ she asked.
The detained lady lawmaker said the real reason why President Duterte was even floating this idea of offering Vice President Robredo that post was because he wants to shame her and all other critics of his flawed drug war, and create the narrative of putting all the blame of his failures to someone else, instead of admitting that he lied about winning the drug war, despite killing thousands of people.
De Lima said Robredo's call to review the drug war was not the first one we have heard.
‘’Remember Cesar Gaviria, former President of Colombia who said that Duterte is repeating his (Gaviria’s) mistakes? Several UN functionaries as well, only to be rebuked and threatened by this uncouth President,’’ she said.
Senator Leila de Lima (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
De Lima, former justice secretary during the Noynoy Aquino presidency, compared the presidential offer with the silly traps that Tom lays down for Jerry as he hides around the corner, hoping that Jerry would be dumb enough to jump on such an obvious ploy that any three-year-old can figure out.
She was referring to the ‘’Tom and Jerry’’ animated series.
De Lima explained that the offer was sad because ‘’many of our countrymen still don’t see that this two-bit former Mayor has taken us on for a ride and led us to believe that he has all the answers to all the problems of our country.’’
‘’As the other 2016 presidential candidates were guarded in their answers to policy questions during the campaign, Duterte had no qualms in promising the moon and the stars, in three to six months, as if his kissing of the Philippine flag and regular outbursts of sick jokes and curses grant him power over reality that no Philippine President had before,’’ she said.
De Lima stressed that President Duterte and his spokesman, Salvador Panelo, know that the decorated drug czar post would not be effective in winning his drug war brand.
‘’If it can, why didn’t he create such a post on his first days as President? Why create one now for VP Robredo, after three years of Tokhang and EJKs? If his gluttonous office (which is bursting at the seams with P4.5 billion confidential and intelligence funds that can’t seem to be enough to pay for all the assassins in the country) cannot stop the smuggling of billions of pesos of shabu (crystal meth) through the Bureau of Customs, then how can a measly Cabinet post fare better?’’ she asked.
The detained lady lawmaker said the real reason why President Duterte was even floating this idea of offering Vice President Robredo that post was because he wants to shame her and all other critics of his flawed drug war, and create the narrative of putting all the blame of his failures to someone else, instead of admitting that he lied about winning the drug war, despite killing thousands of people.
De Lima said Robredo's call to review the drug war was not the first one we have heard.
‘’Remember Cesar Gaviria, former President of Colombia who said that Duterte is repeating his (Gaviria’s) mistakes? Several UN functionaries as well, only to be rebuked and threatened by this uncouth President,’’ she said.