Former and incumbent opposition senators on Sunday, October 9 condemned the hostage-taking attempt at former senator Leila de Lima that took place right inside the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Custodial Center where she is currently detained.
“We worry for the safety of (former) Sen. Leila de Lima. The PNP should come up with a detailed report on what happened and why this happened considering that Sen. de Lima is held in a separate area away from other inmates,” Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said in a statement.
“We are glad with the initial report that she is okay. The wheels of Justice in this country must move quicker,” Pimentel added.
“We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the hostage taking of former Senator Leila de Lima right inside the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center. This is unjust, barbaric, and despicable,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros said in a separate statement.
“We demand an explanation and a thorough investigation of this violent incident from the PNP and the Department of Justice. We need answers. Dapat kaagad na matukoy at managot sa batas ang lahat ng sangkot sa pangyayaring ito (Those responsible for the incident should be immediately identified and should be held liable),” she said.
At the same time, Hontiveros expressed grave concern over the security within the said compound where high-profile suspects are detained.
De Lima, who is still facing drug charges, was unharmed in the incident, according to the PNP. The hostage-taker, identified as detainee Feliciano Sulayao Jr., was shot dead. But a police officer was stabbed during the scuffle.
“How can armed detainees easily gain access to the custodial cell of Sen. Leila, which is deep inside the PNP national headquarters? What lapses in security must be addressed, and most of all, who is responsible for these lapses? We strongly deplore this breach of duty,” she said.
“I urge the PNP to increase the security arrangements around former Senator De Lima, and ensure that no similar incident will ever occur against her or other detainees,” she added.
She noted that the violence against the former senator, a vocal critic of the Duterte administration, is only the latest act of injustice against her.
“Hindi sana nangyari ito kung sa simula pa lang, hindi na kinulong si Senator Leila dahil lang sa mga walang basehan na kaso (This shouldn’t have happened from the start, Sen. Leila shouldn’t have been in jail over a case that is baseless). This is political persecution at its worst,” she said.
“Now more than ever, we call for the immediate release of former Senator Leila from her unjust detention and the dropping of the trumped-up charges against her,” Hontiveros emphasized.
While they are extremely thankful that De Lima is unharmed, former senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said they are alarmed that the incident can happen right inside the maximum security custodial center within the PNP National Headquarters.
“We seek a full accounting of the incident and find out if there was negligence,” Pangilinan said.
“We also reiterate our call that government take swift measures to fast-track the resolution of her cases. Former Sen. De Lima does not belong in prison, is being unjustly detained, and must be released,” he added.
Former Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon also called for a “full-scale” security review of the PNP custodial center’s premises and whether the hostage-taking incident was planned.
“While we praise the PNP for their work in resolving the tense hostage situation involving detained former Senator Leila de Lima, the incident was alarming and called for a full-scale security review,” Drilon said in a statement.
“We call on the PNP to investigate it and find out whether the hostage taking of former Senator De Lima was planned,” added the former opposition leader in the Senate.
“Together with this call, we join the countless Filipinos in praying and in calling for the immediate release of De Lima who has been detained for trumped-up illegal drug charges since 2017,” Drilon said.
“We also pray for the speedy recovery of the police office stabbed during the unfortunate incident,” he also said.