DAVAO CITY, Philippines (UPDATED)— So disappointed with the dismissal of the drug charges against self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, Cebu businessman Peter Lim and 20 others, President Rodrigo Duterte punched a wall in Malacañang and suffered a swollen hand.
A panel of prosecutors investigating the drug charges agains Espinosa, Lim and 20 others dismissed the case filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group December last year for lack of evidence. The dismissal was only reported Wednesday last week.
A source close to the President told Newsline.ph that Duterte’s hands were still swelling when the photo was taken after breakfast Saturday morning, March 17, inside his house in Doña Luisa subdivision here.
In a Facebook post, his younger brother Bong Duterte, posted a photo with a caption: “After hearing the “tsismis” about punching a wall we cannot help to find out if it’ s really true. U make ur judgement.”
The Newsline.ph source narrated, before the picture taking, Duterte told his brother how furious he was when he learned about the case dismissal “naglagot jud ko (I was pissed off),” the source revealed, then, minutes later Duterte requested a member of the household “Picture-ri, picture-ri, para mahibal-an kung hubag pa o dili (take a picture, take a picture, if it is still swelling or not”.
Her told everyone how he struggled to take a bath with swollen hands “Lisod maligo, kay akong itaas akong kamot (it’s hard to take a bath, I need to raise my hands).” The source revealed the photo was not intended to dramatize an issue or to solicit reaction, it simply shows “mababaw lang talaga ang kaligayahan namin, kaya yon)”
A series of photos shared to Newsline.ph Saturday, March 17, shows Duterte raising his hands with his partner Honeylet Avanceña, younger brother Bong Duterte and a family friend Dong Cee.
On Friday, Philippine National Police Director Ronald Dela Rosa revealed the punching story, when reporters asked him about the government’s seriousness on its war against drug as high profile cases are dismissed.
Maybe to prove that the government is hell-bent on its war against drugs, Dela Rosa told reporters, “I tell you nung nagalit si Presidente, tingnan niyo yung kamay ni Presidente, namaga. Nung nagalit siya nung nalaman niya ‘yan sinuntok niya yung wall, dingding ng Malacañang.”
“Tingnan niyo kamao ni Presidente namaga sa galit niya. Moro moro? ganon ba moro-moro?” he added
But dela Rosa did not reveal when the “punching ” incident happened when interviewed by reporters Friday.
Duterte did not attend the 81st Araw ng Dabaw parade last Friday.
His Special Assistant to the President, Bong Go, said the President was nursing swollen hand.
Duterte reportedly punched the wall and was fuming mad when he learned about the dismissal.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre was not aware that the case was dismissed. –Editha Z. Caduaya/Newsline.ph
