De Lima urges Duterte to spare OFWs from disinformation

Opposition Senator Leila de Lima on Saturday called on President Rodrigo Duterte not to tell lies to overseas Filipino workers about her opposition to his "murderous war on drugs" and about the "true state" of the country’s economy.

In a statement, De Lima said that OFWs deserve to know the truth, particularly about how his administration is failing miserably in arresting the rising prices of basic commodities.

Claiming that she is a prisoner of conscience, the senator also urged Duterte to tell Filipinos abroad the truth about her case, for which she is being detained.

“Duterte should stop feeding our OFWs with intrigues, lies and disinformation. Unfortunately, he’s incapable of providing us the direction, guidance and much less, the inspiration at a time when we struggle to make both ends meet,” she said.

She pointed out that Duterte should give better service rather than just gimmickry and cheap shots at his critics.

 “Tell the public the truth, Mr. Duterte.  We deserve better [things] than [mere] gimmicks and cheap shots at your critics. What our OFWs need to know is how this government is failing in arresting the rising inflation that makes their families at home poorer.”

De Lina cited Duterte's recent meeting with the Filipino community in Amman, Jordan, where he Duterte urged OFWs to ignore his critics and their allegations that his administration’s all-out war on illegal drugs is encouraging the growing incidents of extrajudicial killings in the country.

Also, she said that Duterte lashed out at the international community for calling her a “prisoner of conscience” due to her vocal opposition to his administration’s all-out war on drugs that has led to the deaths of more than 23,000 suspected drug offenders.

Moreover, she claimed that Duterte—addressing a gathering of OFWs during his latest trip abroad—spread rumors about her supposed sex video with her former bodyguard in a cheap and desperate attempt to slut-shame her before the Filipino community.

“Pati mga OFWs natin na nagpapakahirap at nagtatrabaho nang marangal sa ibang bansa, niloloko nila. Sa halip na mga kasinungalingan para pagtakpan ang mga tunay na problema sa Pilipinas, dapat malaman nila kung ano ang kongkretong plano ng gobyerno para mapabuti ang kapakanan ng Pilipino, sa loob at labas ng bansa,” De Lima said. —LBG, GMA News