MANILA – United States Sen. Patrick Leahy has slammed President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to ban him and fellow senator Richard Durbin from entering the Philippines.
In a statement by Leahy’s spokesperson David Carle, he said that everyone has the right to freely express opinions even if it is critical to the Duterte administration.
“This is about the right of Filipino citizens – and people everywhere – to freely express their opinions, including opinions that may be critical of government policies that involve the use of excessive force and the denial of due process,” Carle said.
Carle added the illegal drug trade charges that were filed against opposition Sen. Leila de Lima are “politically motivated.”
On Friday, President Duterte ordered the Bureau of Immigration to deny Philippine entry to Leahy and Durbin after they sought to ban Filipino officials involved in what they called the “wrongful imprisonment” of De Lima, a staunch administration critic.
“The President is immediately ordering the Bureau of Immigration to deny US Senators Dick Durbin and Patrick Leahy, the imperious, uninformed and gullible American legislators who introduced the subject provision in the US 2020 Budget, entry to the Philippines,” said Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo.
Should the US push through with the ban on Filipino officials over De Lima’s case, Panelo added Americans planning to visit the Philippines would be required to secure a visa.
De Lima is currently in detention after she was charged with drug offenses in 2017 for the proliferation of illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City during her time as Justice secretary.
“We will not sit idly if they continue to interfere with our processes as a sovereign state,” Panelo said./PN
