De Lima likens Duterte to Batman’s ‘Joker’ who ‘reunited criminals’

President Rodrigo Duterte is like the Joker, who brought criminals in Gotham City together to try and defeat superhero Batman, Senator Leila de Lima said Tuesday.

In her first press conference since she was slapped with drug charges before a Muntinlupa court, De Lima called Duterte a “sociopath serial killer” and “dictator.”

Under the present administration, De Lima said criminals were “reunited” by the “Philippines', if not the world’s, number one killer,” President Duterte.

“May reunion ang mga kriminal sa gobyernong ito dahil ang pinaka-kriminal sa kanila ngayon ang Pangulo ng bansa. Parang sa pelikula lang iyan ni Batman, kung saan pinatawag ni Joker lahat ng masasamang loob sa Gotham City upang maghasik ng kadiliman,” De Lima said.

“Kumbaga sa pelikula, si Pangulong Duterte po si Joker sa eksenang pinapanood natin sa kasalukuyan. Isang psychotic na mamamatay-tao, at pinaka-lider ng lahat ng mga halang ang bituka mula pa noong panahon ni Marcos hanggang sa panahon ni Arroyo,” she added.

She identified those with “questionable characters” as the Marcoses, former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, their lawyers including Ferdinand Topacio, supposed “operators” Sandra Cam,  Dante Jimenez of the Violence Against Crime and Corruption, and former National Bureau of Investigation deputy directors Reynaldo Esmeralda and Ruel Lasala.

“Andyan din ang mga pangunahing enforcers ng mga utos ni Pangulong Duterte — sila Secretary Aguirre at SolGen Calida na mga abusado at aroganteng opisyal sa ating pamahalaan,” De Lima said, referring to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and Solicitor General Jose Calida.

“Huwag na tayong magtanong kung bakit sa panahon ni Duterte naglabasan at namayagpag ang lahat ng mga kriminal, corrupt, halang ang bituka at maiitim ang kaluluwa,” she said.

Aguirre dismissed De Lima's tirades as "totally baseless."

“When a person quotes from Batman, a fictional character, it places in doubt the veracity of her statements. If Batman is fictional, her statements are also fictional. They are like the statements of Edgar Matobato and of SPO3 Lascañas, all make believe like Gotham City,” he said in a statement.

Matobato and Lascañas have implicated Duterte in the unexplained killings of suspected criminals in Davao City when the President was still its mayor.

'Admin using me to silence critics'

De Lima said the Duterte government was attempting to silence its critics by making an example out of her, as she ended up facing drug-related charges after criticizing the administration.

On Friday, she was accused before the Muntinlupa court for alleged violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 over her alleged involvement in the New Bilibid Prison drug trade. 

“Maitim ang pakay ng rehimeng ito: ang gamitin akong halimbawa para takutin, paatrasin, at patahimikin ang kanilang mga kritiko, ilihis ang atensyon ng publiko sa patuloy nilang pagmamalabis at kapalpakan, at para na rin pagtakpan ang madugong kampanya laban sa droga,” De Lima said.

De Lima was the one who filed a resolution calling on the Senate to investigate the alleged extrajudicial killings and summary executions under the Duterte administration.

“Ang bilang ng mga pinatay nitong nakalipas na pitong buwan ay mas marami na kaysa sa mga pinatay sa labing-apat na taon ng Batas Militar at Rehimeng Marcos. Mahigit pitong libo sa pitong buwan, isang libo kada buwan,” she said.

Depending on the sources, the total number of people killed during the nine years of Martial Law — from 1972 to 1981 — varied between 1,500 and more than 3,000. Marcos was elected president in 1965 and was toppled in 1986 through the bloodless "EDSA People Power revolution."

De Lima said she is determined to fight despite the supposed political harassment of the administration.

“Hinding-hindi ako aatras sa laban, kahit saan pang korte nila isampa ang mga inimbentong kaso sa akin, kahit mali-mali ang bintang at pinagsampahan na husgado,” she said.

“Hinding-hindi ako aatras sa laban, ngayon pang alam kong hindi na ako nag-iisa. Marami na tayo. Kaya matakot na sila,” the senator added. — with a report by Virgil Lopez/MDM/BM, GMA News