De lima ipinagtanggol

     Ipinagtanggol ng Liberal Party si Sen. Leila de Lima laban sa umano’y ‘personal attack’ sa kanya ni Pangulong Duterte.      Sa pahayag na ipinalabas ni Liberal Party, nanawagan ito sa liderato ng Senado na panatilihin ang independent ng institusyon at ang mandato nito na maging mapagmatyag sa ginagawa ng gobyerno.      “The Liberal Party stands for free and open debate, for due process of law, and respect and civility in public discourse. Sen. Leila de Lima is doing her job as a senator of the Republic. She deserves support, not condemnation; respect, and not gutter language; she and our people deserve the facts, not innuendo,” saad ng pahayag.      Ayon sa pahayag: “Nakakalungkot ang mga salita at mga paratang na naninira sa kaniyang pagkatao (de Lima) at lingkod bayan. To this end we call on the Senate President to uphold the independence of the Senate whose membership must always be vigorously supported as they fulfill the people’s mandate to make inquiries in aid of legislation.”       Kinondena rin ni Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin ang pag-atake ni Duterte kay de Lima.       Kung ginagawa umano ni Duterte ang kanyang trabaho, ganito rin ang ginagawa ni de Lima.       Inakusahan ni Duterte si de Lima na immoral matapos manawagan ang mambabatas ng  imbestigahan kaugnay ng mga patayan sa bansa.      “President Duterte’s tirades against Sen Leila De Lima were unbecoming and uncalled for. Instead of boldly facing criticism, raising the level of discourse, and arguing on the basis of policy, he resorted to putrid and vitriolic language against Senator De Lima’s personality,” ani Villarin. “If this is about her call for an inquiry into alleged extrajudicial killings committed under the President’s war against illegal drugs, we remind the president, using his own words in the campaign trail, that if one has nothing to hide, one has nothing to fear.” 30