MANILA, Philippines — Senator Leila de Lima has asked the public not to allow President Rodrigo Duterte’s tyranny to attack democracy as the Philippines commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the historic Edsa People Power revolution. “As we commemorate the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution, we cannot allow this tyrant to further assault and erode our democracy,” De Lima said in a dispatch from Camp Crame in Quezon City on Saturday. ADVERTISEMENTDe Lima then said the Duterte administration has denied its role on silencing its critics such as Rappler’s Maria Ressa who was arrested for cyberlibel charge. “Malacañang has acquired the habit of denying that it is behind the persecution of critics and opponents of the Duterte regime,” De Lima said. ADVERTISEMENT“In all of these cases, Duterte has perverted the rule of law by ordering the DOJ and OSG, and influencing, if not intimidating, the courts to do his bidding,” she said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 23, 2019 05:59 UTC