NOTE: This is from the author’s social media post, and is reposted here with permission. This post has been edited for brevity.
Exactly a week ago, on Nov. 13, former Senator Leila de Lima was finally allowed to be released on bail after six years, eight months, and 21 grueling days in unjust detention as a political prisoner of the Duterte administration. She had to endure incommunicado detention because of her unrelenting stance and unwavering dissent on Duterte’s war on drugs, and years of investigating the infamous extrajudicial killings in Davao.
This provisional liberty comes as a welcome development, and a glimmer of hope in a seemingly hopeless Philippines. After all, it’s long overdue, almost seven years in the making. So just imagine the immense tears of joy that we cried with Sen. Leila when the news of her freedom broke out! As supporters who never wavered in our belief in her innocence and faith in her character, the sigh of relief and salad of emotions were inexplicable.
In 2019, de Lima was granted a 48-hour furlough when her mother Norma was discharged from a private hospital in Camarines Sur, so this was her second time to go home to Iriga City since her arrest.
Through a dear friend, Sir Prince, one of Sen. Leila’s most trusted staff, I relayed my felicitations and warm greetings for this joyous milestone for Sen. Leila and to their team who were just as passionate and dedicated as their principal. I intimated with him that if there would be any chance the former senator would be having a meet and greet with supporters, my friends in Albay and I would be very much interested and willing in personally expressing our warm welcome and messages of support to Sen. Leila. He was gracious enough to invite us to Iriga City instead and visit Sen. Leila if we really wanted. Of course I confirmed right then and there, because how can one pass an opportunity like that? I immediately gathered my group and asked if they were keen on coming with me and when they answered in the affirmative, I facilitated the meetup with the help of Sir Prince.
And so we decided to go to Iriga City. There was just six of us—our big bosses in the campaign trail since 2010, the best power-couple doctors Jullie P. Sy and Ofelia M. Samar-Sy, our ever-reliable and trusted friend who makes everything happen Tita Epifania B Daep, Renzel Akeem Llaguno Diez, and Ivan Millare Borilla, who are literally big contributors to our causes. There were others who wanted to go, but couldn’t due to prior commitments. We arrived in the area a little past 8 p.m. There it was, the famous De Lima homestead, just across a school and outpost. The fence was filled with tarps and posters welcoming home De Lima, and the huge Christmas tree and Christmas lights which was mostly made of different shades of blue (De Lima’s political color) stood at the center of the property. We entered the gates and parked. When we alighted, it was apparent that they have been having very busy days as out in the walkways were tables and chairs setups. We were welcomed by Sir Marlon. We were already awed by the beauty and cozy vibe of the mansion. It was easily noticeable how the De Limas had a penchant for interesting and classy collections of furniture and furnishings such as paintings, statues, plants and a variety of display items, which one would glean have come from decades ago. We were told to wait for a bit at the lanai as Sen.Leila had just gotten back to her room to freshen up after arriving home from mass and eating dinner afterwards.
When we got in after being invited by Sen. Leila’s sweet sister Caroline, the immediate feeling was hominess. It was not very opulent, yet simple and inviting. You’ll notice how functional every corner was. It felt very cozy, wide, quaint, and was well adorned with a lot of memorabilia from the illustrious roots of their family. They had a vast living room, which had a free flowing access to the dining and the backyard. The kitchen and bigger dining room adjacent to very spacious. Their house proudly showcased one of Israel’s paintings (Sen. Leila’s son who’s a special child), and old photos of their family, such as their parents’ wedding and their brood’s graduations. The house was so quaint and simply beautiful that it looked like a set location for an old movie. True enough, as Sen. Leila confirmed later on, that it was once the set for a Nora Aunor film.
A few minutes later, Sen. Leila got our of her room and descended from the stairs. She was in relaxed clothing and welcomed us with a beam on her face. Something we missed and had not seen in ages! She and Doc Ofel immediately hugged and Doc Ofel gave her our card with our messages on it.
I greeted her, shook her hands and the first thing that came out of my mouth was, “WELCOME HOME, MA’AM! CONGRATULATIONS AND WE’RE VERY HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN!” She immediately responded with gratitude and I introduced everyone else. I immediately apologized that we couldn’t have come earlier at a much better time and thanked her or accommodating us, knowing that she was already tired and overwhelmed by everything, but she said it was totally fine and she loved and was delighted to finally be able to meet us because she knew how he helped her during the campaign and in carrying out her activities when she was senator. I also thanked her for the letters she wrote me and my family while she was in detention, for our special days and occasions. I right up told her, before I forgot, that it is with immense joy that she is free at last. Further, I had to tell her that I agreed with what Sen. Risa said during her presscon, that it was really her who directly bore the brunt and was at the receiving end of the former president’s ire, to which she held back her tears. She immediately noticed the shirt I was wearing. I wore her campaign shirt which I got from the campaign trail when I joined her volunteer network for 2022. She then escorted us to the kitchen where a buffet of sumptuous dinner was prepared. We sat on a round table and she joined us there. Then came the best and most interesting part. It was very evident how eager and longing she was for conversations, as for almost seven years, she only had her dozen stray cats with her (of which only 5 she was able to take home with her) aside from her guards and usual staff who would frequent her for work and personal life, and her occasional visitors.
We talked for hours, about countless things, from the silliest, lightest to the most serious and heaviest of topics! We shared good laughs, it was great seeing her genuine laughter. She not only has a feisty, but also a funny bone. We were just so curious and fascinated that we kept asking, and she so generously and graciously dignified our curiosities with her answers. She really engaged with us and made us very comfortable with her presence. It was so mesmerizing listening to her brilliance and intelligence. To be in the midst of such greatness was astonishing and really an incredible moment.
We started light. I pointed out how it was so nice to have heard her and VP Leni speaking in the local Bicol language. She said, “Medyo lawí na ngani,” or a bit unused to it now after having been unaccustomed, as she has been Manila-based for a very long time. I said she was actually good with it. She said that when she and VP Leni met a few days ago, VP Leni joined her from lunch and the whole afternoon to the dentist and even told her to get her driver’s license renewed in Naga since it was fast. She shared that she had a lot of plans ahead, so much that she hasn’t been able to plot which ones to give priority to and which ones to do when. Renzel has finally blurted out what he has been meaning to ask, how the senator kept her good skin while in detention. Sen. Leila said, “Of course, hindi pwedeng mawala. Puro regalo ang mga facial wash, moisturizer, etc.” Such effects weren’t prohibited so her visitors would gift her.
It was such a special, visceral, poignant, heartwarming and one of a kind experience listening to her stories during her incarceration. But inasmuch as I want to share with you every detail of some of the things we have talked about, some things cannot be shared for now. So I’ll do my best to share with you to the extent I possibly can.
I started probing. I asked how she was treated inside. She said in fairness, she was treated good. With respect and professionalism. When we asked her to describe her situation inside, she said she has quite a spacious compound, and she was the only one there, but her cell was small. She didn’t have a fridge, but she was allowed a microwave oven inside. She had to have one because reheating food was how she sustained her diet, as only food which came from and were brought by her family and friends were the ones she ever ate, for security purposes.
She didn’t have access to any gadget, not even a cellphone or a laptop to continue her work. Although she had the dailies, and that’s where she got news and information outside, aside from her staff who would visit her twice or thrice a week. She said that she had to relearn everything, even the use of her cellphone. She had to buy a new phone and her staff members continue to patiently teach her the use of her new iPhone. Renzel even threw a joke to her about what iPhone edition she had prior to her detention, because now there’s iPhone 15 already.
She said she read a lot. She wrote a lot—thousands of letters and dispatches. She had a journal and wrote daily entries. She is also thinking of writing a book of her ordeal and publish her journal. Exciting! I’ll surely get one!
Even while she was inside, she never stopped working. She was not allowed to participate in Senate deliberations and debates via online, even during the pandemic when the Senate amended its rules allowing for pariticipation via videoconferencing. But that did not deter her from fulfilling her mandate as a Senator of the Republic. She never ceased authoring resolutions, bills, and giving her comments and opinions on subject matters in the Senate.
She was also grateful to her colleagues and friends for not leaving her side. She said that she never felt alone because they made sure they were with her every step of the way. Most importantly, she said that she always felt the overwhelming support of the people. Her colleagues from the opposition would frequently visit her, especially her closest circle, the likes of the late Karina David (our former head at the People Power Volunteers for Reform, the mother of Kara David), the late Sec. Dinky Soliman, Sec. Ging Deles, etc. Furthermore, she said that one of the things that made her very sad and depressed inside was that she never got to pay respects to her friends who had died, despite them always visiting her when they were still around, like Karina David, Sec. Dinky, Sec. Mon Paje, etc, but most especially PNoy.
When asked what was the moment she felt most down during her incarceration, her answer was all about family. Her semi-demented mother, now 92 and ailing, was never informed of her detention, as all her siblings agreed. She was told that Sen. Leila was abroad for further studies. That’s why, when she got home, she gave her dollars as pasalubong. Sen. Leila also said she couldn’t stop thinking about her son with special needs, Israel. As a proud mother, nothing broke her heart more than not being allowed to attend her other son’s law school graduation, now, Atty. Vincent Joshua De Lima. I told her, “At least now, ma’am, you will be there to be the best mentor, having finished salutatorian in law school and placing 8th in the bar exams.”
We also talked about how she suffered mild stroke while incarcerated. She also turned to a senior citizen two years into her unjust detention. But what tugged at my heartstrings really was how vividly she told the story of that fateful day when she became a hostage of one of the Abu Sayyaf inmates in Crame. She thought genuinely that it would be the end for her. She was telling the story passionately that we were so moved. Her left chest was painful and even had hematoma from the knife that was pricked against her. She said the hostage taker talked to her and was sorry he had to do it but he knew he wasn’t going out of there alive so he would take the senator with her. Once in a while she would appeal to the assailant to let her go, but to no avail. Throughout that ordeal, she just kept praying. She really thought she would die there, so much so that she had already submitted her life to the will of the Lord. And then she survived that. We had goosebumps listening to her narrate that story, that I told her “Ma’am, the fact that you survived that only means you have a much bigger mission to fulfill.”
Doc Ofel asked her about what the support of the international community meant for her. She mentioned that she never knew personally the US senators who had been very vocal and adamant of their call for her freedom, that some of them even visited her. Sen. Leila likewise said that she recognizes that the fact that her case was being monitored all over the world helped in terms of her security and her case not being swept under the rug. She even mentioned that they immediately called her when they got word of her release, and was asking when she would visit them at Capitol Hill.
Doc Jullie asked the Senator about one certain travel abroad a few months before her arrest, where US politicians and other concerned persons were pleading her to not return to the Philippines and even consider seeking asylum because at that time, it was already a talk in the international community how Duterte was planning to get back at De Lima for her staunch position against the war on drugs. She said she understood where they were coming from but she couldn’t for the life of her, turn her back on the people. Wow! What an amazing woman!
We also talked about her colleagues and friends, and how she had realized during this dark time in her life, the saying that you will only know the true colors of people in your darkest times. She made specific mention of Sen. Risa, VP Leni, Sen. Kiko, Sec. Mar, Sen. Bam, thanking them for never leaving her side and shared this emotional yet wonderful news with her.
I also made sure to mention how her staff and her team were just as unrelenting as her in campaigning for her. Their dedication and passion for her and her causes were admirable and so inspiring. Sir Prince, Sir Rey, Atty. Dino, her brother, Sir Vicboy, and all of them.
Also, I was impressed by the humility of Sen. Leila, having admitted to not being very prayerful before it happened to her. I asked how her faith in God has helped her get through. “I must admit, I was not very prayerful before, but I would always regularly attend Sunday masses and would say the rosary every now and then. But during my incarceration, my faith grew because I became more prayerful, I read the Bible and prayed the rosary every day. In fact, I was praying the rosary when I was held hostage.”
When I asked her if she ever lost hope about being freed, she said, “No. I never lost hope and faith. I didn’t do anything wrong and I have always been confident I will be vindicated in the end. And here it is now.”
We also talked about her enemies, her perpetrators, and those who were complicit to her cases. Of course we talked about Dutertes, the Marcoses, the ICC, her future plans, etc. We talked about so many other things as well, which I will keep to myself for my own to cherish.
It was such an inspiring and worthwhile experience with her. Grabe. This woman is truly destined for greater things. I hope someone nominates her for the Nobel Prize because she more than deserves it. Some of us even thought she’s cut out for the presidency, which she uncomfortably shrugged off saying she’s not ready for it and it’s not for her. We just said, “Ma’am, it is destiny that will decide. And the fact that you conquered this biggest challenge and hurdled this greatest obstacle of your life means that you have a bigger mission to fulfill and you are destined for greater things.”
Towards the end, I asked her: “Ma’am, after everything, do you have any regrets?” With pride and firm resolve, “No regrets. I would do it and go through it all over again if I have to!” I was literally awed. Asked where her courage comes from, she credits her late father, former Comelec Commissioner and abogado de campanilla, Atty. Vicente de Lima. She considers her father’s spartan training of their brood as having played the most crucial role in facing this travail. She vividly recalled her father as saying, “You will never know what life will throw at you, so you must be ready and prepared to face everything.”
“He was right. But I did not expect he was referring to something like this. But I thank my father for it. If not for him, I don’t know how I would have faced this,” she said.
There are many people, out of genuine concern, care and love, who would advise and tell her to veer away from politics and public service and just enjoy time with her family, considering she has seven years worth to catch up on. But knowing her, we can all glean the answer as to whether Leila de Lima will take a back seat or not.
It was so amazing being in the midst of a woman, with such grit, courage, tenacity and fortitude. She truly is the epitome of a Bicolanang Oragon, and a patriotic Filipino, the more of which we need now more than ever. May her tribe increase!
In the words of Martin Luther King, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” And this the perfect example of that. So let us not waver our hope! Sabay-sabay at sama-sama tayong patuloy na #Leilaban. 
She is Leila Norma Eulalia Josefa Magistrado de Lima—she is the woman of the hour, and the years to come!
We stayed for two hours. And then we wrapped up as she had a long day, and would have another busy one the following day. We took our photos, said our goodbyes, exchanged numbers, and she said that this will definitely not be the last time we would be meeting. I even asked her to sign again her book she gave me, four years later she wrote her dedication while she was still in Crame. Also, I asked for her blessings for my law school and bar exams journey. We all went home to Legazpi City with grateful hearts and a more profound sense of patriotism.
Leave a Reply