Former President Rodrigo Duterte made a bold gesture of his signature fist during a November 13 House quad-committee hearing, sparking attention as former Senator Leila de Lima spoke. The incident followed her remarks on Duterte’s past assertion of taking “full responsibility” for his anti-drug campaign. Notably, Duterte refrained from mentioning her name during the proceedings.
De Lima, who was imprisoned for nearly seven years over accusations of involvement in the illegal drug trade at the National Bilibid Prison, saw the charges dismissed after her accusers recanted their claims. Responding to a query from House Quad Comm Co-Chair Rep. Dan Fernandez on whether he believed de Lima was the “mother of all drug lords,” Duterte commented, “I would like to congratulate them for making the statement.”
In defense, de Lima described the claim as “absolutely false,” calling it a “fictitious, bogus, allegation.” She added, “I was cleared of all three drug cases… Dumaan po ako sa buong proseso kahit mahirap, masakit para sa akin, kinulong ako ng almost seven years na hindi na po nila ‘yan mababalikan, dahil sa pagka-galit no’ng pinaka-mastermind ng ‘pag persecute sa akin.”
This was the second time Duterte and de Lima faced each other in a formal inquiry, with their first meeting being on October 28 at a Senate hearing on the war on drugs, where they were separated by just one seat. Wednesday’s House quad-committee hearing marked a tense moment as both figures, known for their contentious history, sat side by side.
