Enrile: Miriam’s speech only confirmed her mental state

She's bonkers and her speech proves it, was Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile's prompt rejoinder to the 45-minute diatribe against him delivered by his mortal enemy Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.

 

“Our colleague only confirmed everything I said about her mental health and her propensity to make unfounded accusations,” Enrile said in a manifestation minutes after Santiago’s privilege speech.

Enrile made this manifestation despite his earlier statement that he will no longer retaliate after Santiago's speech.

 

He also challenged the public to scrutinize and find “shenanigans” in his records during the martial law era and in relation to the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), which Santiago had expounded on at length, linking Enrile to human rights violations under the Marcos regime and smuggling and gambling in his home province of Cagayan.

 

Enrile likewise said that he was “saddened” that Santiago had dragged private individuals, especially his former chief of staff, Gigi Reyes, into their feud.
 

“She makes attacks against innocent people, especially my former chief of staff without an iota of proof,” he said.

 

Enrile also managed to joke about Santiago’s reference to his virility. “Siya ang nagsabi na ako ay maasim. Kung mayroon akong napilantikan ng aking asim, siguro dahil ako naman ay may maganda pang tindig.”

 

Earlier, Santiago delivered a highly-charged privilege speech, where she accused Enrile of being  the “mastermind of plunder,” “the king of smuggling, gambling and illegal logging empires” and a “hypersexualized serial womanizer.”

Ernile is one of three senators facing plunder charges in connection with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam supposedly masterminded by trader Janet Lim-Napoles. — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ/KG, GMA News