“Hulihin niyo na ako ngayon. Kung iyan naman talaga ang gusto ninyo! Ikulong niyo na ako ngayon! I am here. Do what you want to me, Mr. President. I wait for you. (…) Hindi po ako duwag dahil wala po akong kasalanan. ‘Yung mga nagtatago, ‘yung mga duwag ang umaatras. Hindi po si Leila De Lima. Hindi po ako pinalaki ng tatay ko para maging duwag,”
(Arrest me now, if that is what you want! Put me in jail now! I am here. Do what you want to me, Mr. President. I wait for you. (…) I am not a coward because I am an innocent. Those who hide are cowards but not Leila De Lima. My father did not raise me to be a coward.)
Senator Leila De Lima was bursting with anger when she faced the members of the media at a press conference yesterday.
This, after she heard the news that she is being linked to the riot that erupted inside the Building-14 of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
In the said incident, high-profile inmate Tony Co died, while Peter Co, Vicente Sy, and Jaybee Sebastian were injured.
De Lima said, it is impossible that illegal drugs and contrabands can still get inside the highly guarded compound inside the NBP.
“Napakatanga naman natin na maniniwala tayo sa mga ganyang storya. Bilibid-14 is supposed to be most guarded facility now. Andyan ang mga SAF tapos gagawa ng storyang ganyan? Na nagsha-shabu kaya nagka-riot?”
(We are fools for believing that story. Bilibid-14 is supposed to be most guarded facility now. There is SAF, then they make stories about it? That they are taking shabu that’s why the riot happened?)
De lima said the inmates were particularly targeted because they are the ones who refused to testify against her.
“Maybe kahit drug convicts iyan, marunong naman makonsensya siguro. Kasi ayaw ngang mag-testify, ayaw mag-execute ng sinumpaang salaysay katulad ng iba.”
(Maybe even they are drug convicts, they have conscience. That’s why they refuse to testify, they refuse to execute a sworn affidavit like others.)
The lady senator also disclosed a text message allegedly from the wife of Jaybee Sebastian that was forwarded to her by a source.
In the message, Sebastian’s wife appears to be giving blessing to her husband to testify against De Lima, which she says is against their principle.
Sen. De Lima also said Pres. Duterte’s apology to Pangasinan Representative Amado Espino and those who he wrongly accused in the drug matrix, shows that all evidence put up against her are all fabricated.
“Dahil iyan sa utak ho niya. Wala ho siyang ibang hangarin kundi sirain ako. Destroy me, at all costs. I am his only agenda. Sabi nga ng text ng asawa ni Sebastian, ako lang naman ang kailangan.”
(Because in his head, he has the intention to destroy me at all costs. I am his only agenda. As the text message by Sebastian’s wife, i am the only one needed.)
The lady senator begged the president to stop their demolition plans.
Apart from her family, the senator said her former staff and colleagues are now also being dragged into the issue.
“Mga former staff ko, mga former officials ko, nilalapitan niyo lahat. Nakakarating po mga sumbong nila sa akin and I feel so helpless. I cannot help them with lawyers dahil kung papadalhan ko sila ng lawyers, sasabihin iyan poprotektahan siya, para hindi siya maano.”
(My former staff, my former officials. Someone reports to me that you are also trying them. And I feel so helpless. I cannot help them with lawyers because if I give them lawyers, they will say that they are protecting me.)
“Tama na po! In your desperation, Pangulo, para siraan niyo ako, hindi niyo na iniisip kung ano na nagiging itsura niyo. Sa mata ng bayan at ng buong mundo. Kayo na po ang pinagtatawanan. Hindi po ako.”
(Stop it! In your desperation, Mr. President, to destroy me, you dont think anymore of your image in the country and in the whole world. They are laughing at you, not me.)
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, on the other hand says, rather than bursting with anger in public, Sen. De Lima should answer all allegations against her. — Joyce Balancio | UNTV News & Rescue
The post De Lima, denies link to riot in Bilibid appeared first on UNTV News.