Labor leader and senatorial hopeful Luke Espiritu didn’t hold back in criticizing Vice President Sara Duterte for likening her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, to the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
Reacting to Sara’s claim that her father might face the same fate as Ninoy if he returns to the Philippines, Espiritu wrote on Facebook, “The nerve.”
“Your father buried Ninoy’s assassin at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. You and your father were key in the Marcoses’ return to power—while Ninoy helped bring them down,” he added in a scathing post.
Rodrigo Duterte is currently on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity tied to his administration’s deadly war on drugs.
Sara, speaking to reporters in The Hague, claimed her father is “very confident” in his defense and is feeling better following his initial ICC appearance, where he appeared visibly weak.
Espiritu doubled down in his post: “If your father is killed, that’s justice. When Ninoy was killed, that was injustice.”
Earlier, Malacañang also rejected the comparison, stating that Aquino had no record of crimes against humanity, unlike the charges Duterte currently faces.
Ninoy Aquino was assassinated in 1983 at what is now the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. He was a key opposition figure against the Marcos dictatorship.