“Free
at last. After 6 years, 8 months, 21 days. And this is my 2,454th
day…”
Words above are Leila de Lima's opening line in her statement after her recent release from detention. Before
I present the full transcript of her statement, let me share some
excerpts of my past ATABAY article A Bad Dream For The Nation which I feel
will shed light on the fitting context of this momentous milestone.
“In
her small cell, [Senator Leila de Lima] has a single bed, a stand fan, a few
pieces of monobloc chairs, 5 small plastic boxes for her clothes, a full-length
mirror, a 5-layer bookshelf, a tiny foldable side table, a desk filled with
documents and books, hardly giving her space to move, and a few more boxes of
books.
“She
has a microwave oven, too – so far the only electronic appliance she’s allowed.
She had requested that her staff bring her home-cooked food daily for safety
reasons.
“The
senator has a small ice chest, which her staff fills with store-bought ice
daily.
“In a
tiny bathroom, a toilet bowl, a pail of water, and a dipper are the only
notable fixtures.
“She
usually starts her day between 5 and 5:30 am by praying and reading the Gospel.
De Lima said she has now become a ‘serious’ Bible reader.”
(De
Lima: One Year Of Living And Surviving In Jail, Rappler)
I could only wonder if Senator de Lima’s daily early
morning quiet time of reflection has ever stirred up her memories of the
traumatic events in the past that led to her present detention.
“De Lima, you are finished. Tapos ka na.”
Spine-chilling words above by President Rodrigo Roa
Duterte (PRRD) -- the crux of her detention -- thundered during a midnight news
conference in Davao City that ended in the wee hours of the morning. Getting on
PRRD’s nerves, De Lima, as chair of the Commission on Human Rights, had spearheaded
the investigation of summary executions carried out by death squads in Davao
where, for more than two decades, PRRD held dominion as a mayor.
Later, as chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, she set off a public inquiry into PRRD’s “war on drugs” -- a bloody extrajudicial campaign that has claimed thousands of lives.
“Senator
de Lima takes the time to feed her new buddies – stray cats that have become
her family. Her staff even brings fish for her cats, together with the
senator’s daily meals.
“After
attending to her cats, she starts cleaning her detention cell, including the
small court outside.
“Yan
na rin ang exercise ko rito. (That also serves as my exercise here).”
“After
this, she resumes reading newspapers, work documents, and novels.
“She
takes her siesta between 11 and 11:30 am, before again returning to reading. By
1 pm, she takes her lunch.
“She
then spends the next few hours meeting with her staff as she tries to continue
fulfilling her mandate. Around 3 to 5 pm, she spends time with visitors, if
there are any, in the holding room.
“By 5
pm, when visitors are made to leave, she’s back to having only stray cats as
companions. It is the time when reality hits her most.”
(De
Lima, Rappler)
“She looks nice… Fighter talaga.”
PRRD’s typical words for the antagonist could either
be complimenting her guts as a woman compared to her colleagues who have real balls
but are spineless, or they’re words that could be titillating for her alleged [deepfake]
sex videos.
Looking back, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II
offered at that time in showing at the House of Representatives panel hearing
Senator de Lima’s alleged sex videos. Women’s groups and female lawmakers
blocked the attempts to have the video shown.
“It is not me, as far as I’m concerned… It is a
violation. A gross violation of my rights and my dignity as a woman.” Senator de
Lima disavowed and raised objections then.
Though the sex videos were not shown in the hearing,
the House of Representatives panel feasted on the salacious grilling of the
witnesses with lurid questions raised and suggestive comments made for the
sexually arousing pleasure of the whole panel crowd.
“Nagtampisaw ba kayong dalawa sa init ng inyong
katawan?”
“Pinagsamantalahan mo ba ang maselan na babae?”
“Napakahilig mo
namang magsalat.”
“[Senator
de Lima] eats her no-rice dinner by 8 pm.
“The
senator said she misses the time when she could cook and go to the market
again. At one point during her first year in the Senate, she sent her specialty
laing to reporters.
“‘I
also miss going to Our Lady of Manaoag. I go there thrice a month. I miss
driving because it relaxes me, also practical shooting, watching movies,
listening to music, and dancing,’ De Lima said.
“But
for now, De Lima has no choice but to go on missing her life outside. She
herself has learned to live with her current fate.
“And
with the coming of her second year in jail, she said she only has a hope to
cling to.
“’It’s
just a hope. Realistically, it seems quite remote. Nothing less than a miracle
would free me.’”
(De
Lima, Rappler)
That was five years ago. Today, after 2,454 days of living and surviving in jail, the seemingly quite remote miracle has happened. Leila de Lima is free at last. Here’s the full transcript of her statement.
Though
it took too long, I never lost faith that my inevitable freedom will come. Alam
ninyong lahat kung gaano katagal tayo naghintay at nagtiis, nang may pananalig sa katotohanan, at ang tutuong hustisya ay magtatagumpay.
But
the counting of the years, the months, days, hours, minutes, seconds, the milestones
in my own life, in my family’s life, and our nation’s history that I've missed by
being unjustly detained, cannot be counted. None of those can fully express how
much and how long I have longed to be able to say the words, finally, “The truth
will set me free.” Yes, it’s always the truth, it’s always for the truth, and
that’s why I’m now set free.
Wala
segurong sapat na salita ang lubos na makapaglarawan sa damdamin ng isang
inosenting inapi. Sa kabila ng pighati at paghihirap na dulot ng pagbaluktot sa
mismong batas at sa prosesong ipinaglalaban, ay patuloy na nananalig, nanampalataya,
at umaasa, na darating din ang panahon, na mananaig ang katotohanan at tunay na
katarungan.
Every
moment was a test, and every single second was a fight to rise above the sorrow,
the fears, the uncertainties of the future, and even, to be honest, the temptation
to be overcome by hate and vindictive thoughts. There was always that
temptation.
Lahat po
iyon ay nilabanan ko. Hindi ko isusuko ang aking pagkatao at pagiging tao. They
may have taken years in my life, but they will never take my humanity.
Ang mundo ay puno ng mga taong
baluktot ang kaluluwa at makasarili, sa harap ng pagdurusa ng taong bayan. I
will never be one of them.
Every
second, every minute, every hour, every day, every month, and every year, of
the last 2,454 days, was a struggle. But the one thing I can honestly say is that
I never allowed myself to even entertain any regret. No regret.
Yes, I
wish things turned out differently, but these are things that are beyond my control. But
for the things that were, what I did, how I reacted, and my reasons for
fighting for those who were victimized and cannot speak for themselves, I have
no regret.
As I
appear before you today, 6 years, 8 months, 21 days, after I peaceably
surrendered myself to the authorities, it is one of my greatest achievements in
my career and in my life to say that not only did I survive, all these years of
persecution and unjust detention, I came out stronger than ever, with an even
stronger commitment to truth, justice, human rights, democracy, and the rule of
law.
These
are not just words to me. These have been my lifeline. These have been my life
before, during, and after my unjust detention started.
Kayo po ang aking ipinaglaban. Kaya maraming salamat dahil ako rin ang inyong ipinaglaban. Marami maraming salamat po sa mga panalangin ninyo, at sa walang kapagurang pananalig ninyo sa katotohanan. Dios mabalos. Mabuhay ang Sambayanang Pilipino at ang Pilipinas.
Head photo courtesy of France
24
Video clips courtesy of YouTube
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