MANILA: Vice President Sara Duterte as the new opposition leader? Not so fast, said former senator and Liberal Party (LP) spokesperson Leila de Lima on Thursday (June 20).
Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque heralded Duterte as the new opposition leader after she resigned as education secretary on Wednesday.
De Lima, speaking for the LP, objected to Roque’s statements.
“The real opposition has a foundation of accountability, transparency, and concern for the citizens, which cannot be seen in Vice President Sara’s track record,” De Lima said in an X post.
With Duterte’s resignation, no accountability or change of morals took place, according to De Lima.
De Lima said that Duterte’s resignation only confirmed what people knew: that the Uniteam was a mere facade to win in the 2022 elections.
“The opposition puts the people first, not increasing and maintaining power. Not defending wanted religious leaders or slaying thousands of Filipinos. Especially not playing blind to the bullying of fisherfolk and foreigners stealing our territories,” said De Lima.
De Lima did not name names, but the only religious leader that Duterte has consistently defended is the fugitive televangelist Apollo Quiboloy.
The vice president is the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose bloody war on drugs left thousands of Filipinos dead.
Lastly, the vice president has been criticised for her silence on China’s maritime expansion in the West Philippine Sea, despite her family’s staunch support for the armed forces. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
