Ron Mia
Former Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary and now Senatoriable Leila De Lima has described presidential front-runner Rodrigo Duterte as a monster.
In a roundtable interview with the Inquirer, tough-talking Liberal Party senatorial candidate De Lima likened Duterte to a monster that she said must be stopped.
“He has become a monster… There has to be concerted actions (against him),” she said.
De Lima also said Duterte’s actions should be scrutinized because they’re scary and should not be downplayed as a joke. She also warned that Duterte’s formula in curbing criminality within a six-month period is dubious and could wreak havoc on society as a whole.
“We know what method he wants to use and we know that it cannot be done. How in heaven’s name can you eradicate criminality, including drug-related criminality, in three to six months? It’s a complete illusion,” De Lima said.
She continued by warning voters not to make light of Duterte’s propensity to brag about his involvement in extrajudicial killings because that is a clear sign of the makings of a fascist leader.
De Lima has been a long time nemesis of Duterte. Their rift started during De Lima’s stint as head of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. De Lima called Duterte to an investigation regarding the vigilante group Davao Death Squad which is being linked to the Davao City Mayor.
“I subpoenaed him (to a public hearing) and asked him about his take on the DDS, particularly on the case of a man who went missing after he was picked up by the police,” De Lima recalled.
Since then, the two have traded barbs with Duterte even lambasting De Lima’s failure in resolving the bilibid scandal.
READ: Duterte blasts De Lima: ‘I have something on you too’
