Former president Rodrigo Duterte (left), former senator Leila de Lima (Quad-comm media)

Former president Rodrigo Duterte openly antagonized ex-senator Leila de Lima--who sat less than three feet away from him--during the House quad-committee (quad-comm) hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Both Duterte and De Lima attended Wednesday's proceedings as resource persons.

In his interpellation of Duterte, quad-comm co-chairman Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez asked the ex-president to comment on an Octoner 2016 news article that branded De Lima as the "mother of all drug lords".

"Who said it, sir?" Duterte asked Fernandez about the news headline. 

"According sa report ay mga tao po natin sa Malacañang, si Director Ruel Lasala and Reynaldo Esmeralda, former NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) officer-in-charge ng Department of Justice (DOJ)," Fernandez said.

(According to the report, it was our people in Malacañang, Director Ruel Lasala and Reynaldo Esmeralda, former NBI officer-in-charge of the DOJ).

"I would like to congratulate them for making the statements," Duterte said in an obvious jab at De Lima.

Duterte was already the president when the news article was published. 

On Feb. 24, 2017, De Lima was jailed for alleged links to the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP). De Lima--a former Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairperson and DOJ secretary--would remain incarcerated until Nov. 13, 2023, or over six years. 

"Secretary De Lima, would you agree with the statement of the former president that you are mother of all drug lords?" Fernandez asked Duterte’s seatmate.

"Absolutely false, that is a fictitious, bogus, allegation against me...kasama lang ho ‘yan sa naging propaganda nila (that was just part of their propaganda)," said De Lima, who was tempering her emotions.

"I was cleared of all three drug cases. I underwent the whole process. Dumaan po ako sa buong proseso kahit mahirap, masakit para sa akin. Kinulong ako ng almost seven years na hindi na po nila ‘yan mababalikan, dahil sa pagka-galit no’ng pinaka-mastermind ng ‘pag persecute sa akin," she said.

(I went through the entire process, even if it was difficult, even if it was painful to me. I was jailed for almost seven years, seven years that can't be given back, just because of the anger of the mastermind in my persecution.)

"So that is absolutely false, that is a slanderous accusation against me," De Lima emphasized.

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The former chief executive then took another shot at De Lima by claiming that he didn't know who she was.

"Sorry, I do not know her," Duterte told Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, after the latter mentioned the name of then-CHR chairperson De Lima. 

Luistro was quizzing Duterte about the alleged discovery of human bones in Laud quarry--a case that De Lima investigated.

"I'm aware of only know of one bone. Dala-dala ni--sino yung sinabi mo? Binalot niya (It was brought by--who was that person again? It was wrapped up)," the former leader said, obviously referring to De Lima.

De Lima held her peace for most the hearing as Duterte dominated the interpellation or question and answer portion.