MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Leila de Lima, among President Rodrigo Duterte’s fiercest critics, spent her Christmas behind bars with her family and friends on Monday, her 304th day of detention at the national police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Despite her almost a year of incarceration, the lawmaker said she remained undaunted as she continued to get “love and support” from families and friends, who “inspire her to keep fighting for her causes despite efforts by the present administration to taint her reputation.”
“Of course, this political persecution brought about by this vindictive regime pains me. Pero sa kabila ng lahat ng ito, masaya akong makapiling kayo ngayong Pasko—ang aking pamilya, mga kaibigan at taga-suporta,” De Lima, a neophyte opposition lawmaker, who has been a constant critic of Duterte since she was chair of the Commission on Human Rights, said in a recent dispatch from prison.
Last Sunday, a Mass was officiated by Fathers Robert Reyes, Hector Cañon, and Flavie Villanueva inside the PNP-Custodial Center where De Lima is imprisoned.
During the Mass, Reyes thanked the senator for being a “martyr” for her country, explaining that being a martyr means standing up for what is right in God’s eye notwithstanding the challenges that go with it.
De Lima’s brother, Vicente “Macky” de Lima II, meanehile conveyed his “unwavering love” for the senator after the Mass.
“We wish a very merry Christmas for our dear Leila. Christmas celebrates the birth of our Lord. What better way to celebrate it than to practice what He preached. Above all, Jesus preached about love. So here’s wishing you our dear Leila our unconditional and unwavering love,” he said.
Also present during the Mass was the Senator’s aunt, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee and former head of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Lilia de Lima, who lauded De Lima for her tireless effort to stand up for what she believes in.
“Very few people are given the chance to do what they believe in. Leila is blessed to do and pursue what she believes. As Socrates said, ‘an unexamined life is not worth living.’ She is living a life worth living,” the senator’s aunt shared.
De Lima’s other brother Vicente “Nonoy” de Lima Jr. also attended the Mass.
After the Mass, De Lima’s relatives and friends lunched together, followed by the singing of Christmas carols and exchange gifts.
