MANILA, Philippines – In light of viral social media posts conspiring around the origins and motivations behind the recent blast in Davao City, Senator Leila de Lima cautioned against lumping together various groups as being responsible in a recent statement.
According to her, groups perceived by the government as ‘threats to national security’ should not be accused of conspiring against the Duterte administration. “It is more than inappropriate to characterize in the same breath the extremist terrorist attack in Davao City also as an act of ‘narco-terrorism’, or worse, as having been funded by the political opposition – the first as advanced by the PNP chief, and the second by a well-known ideologue of the Duterte administration – without any verification or validation,” De Lima said. “This is not the time to use a terrorist attack of a rebel extremist group to loosely and recklessly paint a picture of a conspiracy against the State among drug lords, the terrorists, and the legitimate political opposition.”
The Abu Sayyaf, after claiming responsibility for the bombing at the Roxas Night Market late Friday, September 2, which left 14 people dead and more than 60 others injured, immediately retracted from their statement and instead identified the group behind the blast as Daulat Ul Islamiya, an ally of the terrorist group.
With regards to President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a state of lawlessness, De Lima expressed she “will not second guess his judgment”. According to her, “He (Duterte) is in the best position to determine the propriety or not of issuing such a declaration,” also adding that it would be “so much the better” if Duterte’s declaration would also put an end to the spate of extrajudicial killings in the country.
She also addressed a statement circulating social media attributed to her, which said ,”It could be a strategy of Duterte forces to provide reason to declare martial law. Davao is not the safest place after all.” The senator denies having said this statement, saying it was “maliciously attributed” to her as part of a “disinformation campaign.”
