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,DUMB AND INTELLIGENT IN ONE ?

H EAD'

Sara
over l^.-
I Dutene-Carpio, president Aod.,go
onest
tri tV il;;;;ilJ;";;;;A;'il
BY CATHERINE S. VALENTE rr ._
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faiting
Lima "dumb,'_for supposedly
11t:MutN{ ilevls'r
AVAO C / ^,f \
ro comDrehend drgumem that de (
)
MayOf Saf a .her
Consritution did noi list ,,honesry,,

D Utgfte _ among rhe requirements for candidates, i

I / ^_ -, __- and pointed out that the senator was in

^_ r\4onday
g.u'pig on ilifi:X'H,T:tllffi"fj["::""
blaSted detained Sen_ De Lima, eartier rhis monih, said I

,,damning,,
atOr Leila de tima in disregard for honesry was
F"'&{enestyA2
the latest episode of
the outspoken first NEtf p\ee trN ..-Z
daughter's verbal tus-
sle with the opposi-
tion over the issue of
honesty among senate
candidates.
g,HONESTY'FROM A1
jara blasts Leila over'honesty'
nd told Duterre-Carpio that
he, along with Malacaflang
:okesman Salvador Panelo,
represent what is wrong and
ow things could be worse for
ur government."
ln response, Duterte-Carpio
rid: "lfI am an example ofwhat
wrong and what could be worse
rr our government, you tust de-
ribed yourselfas well. You are tie
ont because you are intelligelt
rd dumb all in one head."
"You are the only person from
e Black Hole who said it right,
pat ang botahte ang nagsasabi
ng ano ang hinahanap niya sa
ndrdato (lt should be rhe voters
who will decide on what qualities
they are looking for in candidates) .
But you are dumb as well, for at
tacking me without reading the
entire transcription of my state-
ment and comprehending what
I said," she said in an open letter.
Black Hole is Dutefte-Car-
pio's choice label for the eight-
man senatorial slate of the op-
position dubbed "Otso Diretso"
('straight Eight" ).
"You are a senator honesty
-
about your involvement in the il-
legal drugs business underscrutiny
by the courts how about you
-
make a law addlng honesty as a
requirement for all Filipinos be-
fore they can run for public of0cq "
Duterte-Carpio, who heads the
pro-administration regional party
Hugrong ng Pagbabago, said.
"Maybe then you can saVe t}re
government from yoursell In-
day Sara, Leni, Digorlg, Panelo,
Aleiano, Hilbay, And all the de
Limas ofthe universe"$he added,
: s
refering to Vice President Maria
Leonor "Leni" Robredo, President
Duterte, Panelo, Magdalo Rep.
Gary Alejano and former solicitor
general Florin Hilbay.
Robredo leads the opposition,
while Alejano and Hilbayare Otso
Diretso candidates.
De Lima has been detained at
\ ++eAou
the Philippine National Police
Custodial Center in Camp Crame,
Quezon City since February 20t7,
as she is on trial for her alleged
involve ment in the tlrug trade
inside the national penitentiary
when she was Justice secretary of
the adrninistration of President
Benigno Aquino 3rd.
De Li ma has maintained that
the charges were trumped up
to silence her opposition to the
bloodywar on drugs.
Oooosition
cirid idates 'liars'
ln her open lettet Duterie-Carpio
insiskd that honesty was not a
requirerrtent to be an election
candidare and that senatodal bets
ofthe opposition could notsetthe
il€ ,.leuJ's'l
[t)
standards.
Ang sabi ko, hindi ang op-
position ang magsasabi kung ano
dapat ang isang kandidato at hindi
issue ang honesty dahil hindi
'yan rcqviremer't para ka maging
kandidhto (Whatl said was it will
not be the opposition thal will
say what a candidate should be,
and that honesty.was really not a .
requirement for any candidate),"
Duterte-Carpio said.
"Therefore, Black Hole caadi-
dates, who are themselves liars,
should not attack a candidale in
that manner. I used the sarne argu-
ment on the issue of a college de-
gree or inclusion in the narcolist,"
she added.
The narcolist refers to President
Duterte's list of elected officials
allegedly involved in drugs.
Duterte-Carpio has accused
Alejano oflyingwhen he said that
Hufl)ong candidate Chfi stopher
Lawrence "Bong" Co, former
special assistant to the President,
used government funds to pay for
campaign shirts placed inside the
kits distribured during a national
convention of elected village of-
ficials in February
Hilbay, the Aquino govern-
ment's solicitor general, has also
been accused of misrepresenting
his role in the Philippines' arbi-
tration case against China over
the dispute over South China Sea
(West Philippine Sea).
Earlier this month, Dutert€-Car-
pio dared Otso Dir€tuo bets to
debatewith her, but the oppositio
candidates said they would onl
engage with senatorial candidates.