Former senator Leila de Lima described the hostage-taking incident inside the Philippine National Police Custodial Center on Sunday morning, Oct. 3, as a near-death experience as she revealed that the inmate who held her hostage was already determined to die.

In a statement, De Lima said Feliciano Sulayao, Jr. told her that death was already coming to him since his two companions were already shot dead during the initial negotiations when they repeatedly stabbed a police officer.

Sulayao was referring to Idang Susukan and Arnel Cabintoy. All the three are identified with the Abu Sayyaf Group, with Susukan tagged as a leader before his arrest in 2020.

“After being told by the hostage-taker that since his two other companions were already dead, he’s certain he would also be killed and he might just as well also kill me,” said de Lima in a statement.

Based on the report, Sulayao was shot in the head by Police Col. Mark Pespes, the director of the Headquarters Support Service (HSS), after the police official saw an opportunity when the hostage-taker asked for a bottle of water.

De Lima expressed gratitude to the police for what she describes as a timely intervention that saved her.

“I consider what happened to me as a near-death experience. If not for the timely intervention of the PNP security force, I don't think I would have come out alive since the hostage-taker was already determined to die and take me with him,” De Lima said.

“I am now safe and sound except for the lingering pain on my chest where the hostage-taker constantly pressed the point of his knife while holding me hostage,” she added.

De Lima, however, asked the public to pray for the police officer who was repeatedly stabbed by the three inmates in an attempt to escape.

The police officer, according to PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr., is in critical condition due to multiple stabwounds he suffered from an improvised knife used by the three inmates.

“Please also pray for the injured police officer who, like me, was the other but more unfortunate victim of this incident. While I have survived with only a knife mark and some considerable distress, he is still fighting for his life. Let us all pray for his quick recovery,” said De Lima.

Free Leila calls renewed

De Lima has been under detention since she was charged with illegal drugs cases.

Following the incident, calls to release her were renewed as her supporters said that the charges leveled against her were all made up.

Most of the witnesses who testified against De Lima have already recanted.

Despite the calls, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said the most they could do is to provide a safer detention facility for De Lima.

Abalos, a lawyer, said that all the cases filed against De Lima are now in courts and the PNP is just a custodian of De Lima. Thus, he said the government could not intervene on the cases.

De Lima, however, declined the offer of President Marcos that was relayed through Abalos to be transferred.

Abalos said De Lima told him that she feels safer in her current detention facility.

Recovering

De Lima also expressed gratitude to those who expressed concern on what she describes as a surreal hostage-taking incident.

“I have already endured more than five years of unjust detention inside the PNP Custodial Center. It was therefore farthest from my mind that on top of this ordeal, I also had to survive the knife of a fellow detainee (reportedly an Islamic extremist) who took me hostage in a desperate attempt to make known their grievances to the public,” said De Lima.

“While I am still trying to recover psychologically and emotionally from this harrowing experience, I am sure of one thing that I learned from it. Being so near death has only made me value life even more,” she added.