Senator Leila de Lima, who’s currently in detention at the Camp Crame, on Sunday, Dec. 12, asked supporters to spread the truth and share their knowledge with others about who to elect as the country’s next leaders.
Having been detained for almost five years on what she believed were trumped-up drug charges against her by the Duterte administration, the senator asked for more prayers as she spends her fifth Christmas languishing in prison.
She, however, cannot win the fight for her rights and the rights of the Filipino people alone because of the machinery of the government and the rapid spread of disinformation and intimidation.
“Pero po hindi ito magagawa ng isang tao lang o ng iilan lamang sa atin (But this cannot be done by one person or only a few),” a message she wrote said.
Her spokesman and lawyer Dino de Leon read the handwritten letter during presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo’s weekly radio show over dzXL. De Lima is running for reelection under the ticket of Robredo and Senator Kiko Pangilinan.
READ: Detained Senator De Lima seeks another term in Senate
“Hindi po sapat na tayo-tayo lang ang nag-uusap at nagkakaintindihan. Kailangan pong hikayatin natin ang iba pang mga kamag-anak, kaibigan, at kakilala kung sa ano ang totoo at kung sino ang karapat-dapat na piliing mga lider na namumuno sa susunod na taon (It’s not enough that we only talk among ourselves and understand each other. We need to encourage our relatives, friends, and acquaintances to what is true and who they should choose as leaders next year),” De Lima’s message read.
The embattled senator remains hopeful that she will be out of detention “soon”, stressing that Filipinos deserve next year’s Christmas to be better.
“Gusto po nating lahat sa mga susunod na Pasko at iba pa nating selebrasyon tunay po tayong nakapagsasaya, malaya sa panggigipit, malaya na sa pandemya at higit sa lahat, nakakatamasa ng buhay na may dignidad at mas maginhawa (We all want our next Christmas and other celebrations to be truly happy, free from oppression, from from the pandemic and most especially, are able to enjoy a life more decent and more comfortable),” she added.
De Leon, for his part, shared how the senator was holding up amid her being detained for years.
READ: De Lima elated and humbled by VP Robredo's visit
Though she is going through tough times and she has lost a lot of weight, her spokesperson said that De Lima will not stop fighting.
“Her spirit remains intact. Grabe talaga siya (She’s really something). She is made of stern stuff. Hindi talaga tumitigil sa pakikipaglaban (She doesn’t stop fighting),” De Leon said.