De Lima mocks Duterte over transfer of convicts to the Marine barracks

Senator Leila De Lima on Saturday mocked President Rodrigo Duterte for his claim that he ordered the transfer of several high profile convicts turned witnesses in her drug case from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa to the Philippine Marines Corps barracks in Taguig because he was worried for the convicts' safety.

"Hahaha... So, in Duterte’s twisted mind, I’m that powerful! So powerful that I can actually command my alleged NBP 'allies' to harm or assassinate their fellow inmates! This is insanity in its most diabolical form!" said De Lima in a statement.

The senator, who has been detained at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame since February of 2017, added that the President's latest "inanity" was nothing more than an attempt to perpetuate the lie that she was the country's leading narco-politican.
      
"Aminin nyo na lang kasi na ang totoong dahilan sa paglipat nyo sa mga convicts-witnesses na yan sa Philippine Marines HQ ay ito: for you and your equally evil operators to further control these witnesses in terms of pinning me down in the drug cases against me. Malapit na kasing isalang sa witness stand ang mga convicts-witnesses na yan sa ongoing trial in my drug cases," claimed De Lima.

She added that, in order to ensure her conviction, the President needed to give these high-profile convicts special treatment, if not further threats and pressure, for their false testimony.

Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for a housing project in Cebu's Naga City on Friday, Duterte revealed that he directed the convicts' transfer given that De Lima still had allies in the national penitentiary.

“May issue na merong ilan na hindi ko pinakulong sa penitentiary, Muntinlupa. Pinalipat ko sa Marines,” he said in Cebuano. “Kasi natatakot ako na may mga tao pa si De Lima na naiwan doon at yung mga testigo laban sa kanya ay papatayin. Darating ang panahon na wala na magsasabi ng katotohanan. Ako yan. Ako ang nag-utos.” — DVM, GMA News