Detained Sen. Leila de Lima said there seemed to be a "silent majority" starting to get frustrated with the Duterte administration.
In a handwritten note on Friday, the senator said she came to the conclusion after a group of elderly parishioners from a church near Camp Crame paid her a visit on Friday with complaints about the government.
"To my amazement, they came across well-versed on the goings on in our country. With unsophisticated candor, they talked about Duterte’s rudeness. His cursing, his dark psychology and obsession with drugs, while neglecting other urgent concerns such as the economy, jobs and traffic," she wrote.
"These women were also aghast about Duterte’s handling of the Benham Rice issue and sell-out to China," she added, referring to
De Lima said her visitors also expressed their disdain toward Duterte's allies, including House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, Solicitor General Jose Calida, and Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo.
"Voters were clearly duped, so they concluded," the lawmaker said. "I told myself as I feel it in my gut that there must be a multitude of like-minded citizens out there, sharing exactly the same sentiments. There must be a silent majority now."
I am my tormentors' 'curse'
In another note, De Lima called herself the "curse" of the people responsible for her detention at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center at Camp Crame over drug-related charges.
"I am their problem. I am their curse. Those evil elements who orchestrated this grand travesty of justice foisted upon me must now be shaking on their knees," De Lima wrote.
De Lima has been vocal about the government's anti-drug war as well as the spate of extra-judicial killings that began since Duterte took office in 2016.
Since her jailing, local critics have questioned the circumstances behind her arrest.
Her arrest also caused an international outcry, with the European Union ultimately approving a resolution that called for her release and an independent international investigation into the Philippines' drug war.
"With the whole world watching, and more and more people gaining discernment about this regime’s capacity for evil, my tormentors must realize that locking me up in jail and stripping me of my rights is a huge mistake," De Lima said.
Panelo had earlier said the EU resolution seeking De Lima's release was an example of "foreign interference."
He has also dismissed criticism against Duterte as attempts to remove the former Davao City mayor from the presidency.
Source : GMA