MANILA – Detained Sen. Leila de Lima has urged President Rodrigo Duterte to let Vice President Leni Robredo take over from his official functions as Chief Executive.
In a statement, De Lima said that Duterte should write a letter to the Senate and House of Representatives officially declaring himself as unable to discharge his functions as the President.
“Follow the Constitution. Transmit to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives your written declaration that you are unable to discharge the powers and duties of your office and let VP (Vice President) Robredo take over,” De Lima said.
According to the opposition senator, that is the only “manly way” for Duterte to stay true to his challenge for Robredo to takeover his drug war.
“Duterte must first relinquish his post entirely to VP Robredo, who will then be Acting President throughout the overacting phase of Duterte’s spoiled brat persona, and not only take over law enforcement functions,” the opposition senator said.
De Lima also said that Duterte have once again resorted to attacking Robredo as he “cannot admit that he miserably failed the millions of Filipino people who believed in his fake promise to rid the country of illegal drugs in six months.”
“You failed. And now you mock VP Robredo when you were the one who bragged everything is solvable with the six month Duterte formula of wishing that things would just fix themselves by the sheer power of your stupid jokes and equally idiotic ramblings,” she said.
De Lima added: “Niloko mo ang mga tao na six months solve lahat ng problema. Ngayon hinahamon mo si VP Leni na gawin ang hindi mo nagawa? Sino ba ang nangako sa taumbayan na ayusin ang Pilipinas sa loob ng anim na buwan?”
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, meanwhile, laughed off the latest tirades of De Lima, who was detained for allegedly allowing the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prisons during her time as Department of Justice secretary.
“De Lima must be hallucinating. Could be the result of incarceration. I pity her. I’m praying for her health,” Panelo said in a text message to the media on Thursday./PN
