MANILA — Four days after greeting Senator Leila de Lima on her first year in jail, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday wished the detained lawmaker a lifetime in jail.
Roque made this reaction after De Lima issued a statement saying Roque has bartered his reputation and dignity for political gain.
“As I said, happy anniversary on your first year of detention. May you spend the rest of your life in jail,” Roque said in a news briefing.
De Lima is facing charges on illegal drugs and had been detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame since Feb. 24, 2017.
Roque said De Lima is “a living symbol that the Philippines has become a narco-state with her election in office funded by drugs.”
“Senator De Lima’s incarceration shows that the criminal justice system in the Philippines is alive, effective and working,” Roque said in a statement issued Saturday.
“Senator De Lima has been detained because of drug charges. She is the mother of all drug lords by allowing the illegal drug trade to proliferate inside the National Bilibid Prison when she was the Department of Justice Secretary,” he added.
De Lima had denied involvement in illegal drug trades. (Jelly Musico/PNA)
