Press Release
January 8, 2019

De Lima on Duterte's tirades, sexist jokes: 'Toxic and extremely sickening!'

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has urged the Filipino public, especially young people and women, to resist Mr. Duterte's intensified attacks against the Catholic faith and public remarks that reek of sexism and misogyny.

De Lima said the Filipino people who continue to suffer under the despotic rule of Duterte should fume over the oft-repeated blatant attacks of the government on the Catholic church and women, and channel such anger towards the "common enemy."

"The trash that comes out from the foul mouth of this President - the 'confession' about the sexual assault of a kasambahay (housemaid) and the intensified attacks against the Catholic faith - is growing ever more toxic and extremely sickening," she said in her recent handwritten Dispatch from Crame No. 444.

"As to us who count ourselves as part of the pro-democracy forces, the urgent and compelling challenge to us is to get our act together and not be weakened and disabled by unnecessary frictions and divisiveness, which only benefit and empower the real and greater enemy," she added.

Last month, Duterte publicly confessed that he molested his family's maid when he was a teenager as he renewed his attacks against the Catholic Church hierarchy for criticizing him and his supposed faultless policies.

According to the lady Senator from Bicol, it is apathy, silence or plain cowardice that have become "enablers of the new order of political turmoil and moral decay in the society under Duterte."

She called out on individuals who continue to tolerate Duterte's tirades, including the greedy and abusive politicians and some members of the San Beda College Alumni Association who glorified infamy by recognizing Duterte as the "Bedan of the Decade."

"Shame on you, the greedy and abusive politicians who, by your selfish interests and visionless ambitions, have allowed yourselves to be pawns or willing partners of a tyrant on his path to perdition," she said.

"Shame on you, Bedans, those of you who, by your self-serving and hypocritical act of bestowing accolades to this first Bedan President as 'Bedan of the Decade', have, in fact, glorified infamy, bringing dishonor to our Alma Mater," she added.

The former justice secretary also called the attention of individuals who continue to support Duterte's derogatory remarks by "gleefully" applauding his offensive rantings and vile and odious sexist remarks, among others.

She urged these people, including the members of the opposition, to not be afraid to express their condemnation against the oppressive and unjust moves of the government and to start holding leaders accountable for their words and actions.

"The clear agenda of the despot is to foment chaos and division, which keep the citizenry confused, benumbed and paralyzed into stupor," she said.

"The opposition must devise an aggressive counter-strategy to expose the insidious agenda of this regime, awaken the silent majority and stir them into action," she added.

De Lima continues to be one of the fiercest critics of the Duterte administration, notably its murderous war on drugs that saw death of thousands of suspected drug offenders which smacks of summary executions.

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