Former Vice President and Angat Buhay NGO Chairperson Atty. Leni Robredo shared her moments with former senator, Leila de Lima, who was recently released on bail after being incarcerated on drug charges.
Robredo shared that De Lima is planning to visit her mom in Iriga once she is free from detention.
“The last time I saw Sen Leila, she was still in detention. I asked her, then, what she plans to do first when she is finally free. She said she wants to spend time with her mom in Iriga," Atty. Robredo wrote on social media.
Atty. De Lima was the Secretary of Justice during the term of former President Benigno Aquino III.
She served as senator in 2016 and sought re-election in the 2022 presidential election as senator but landed in 23rd place. She spent five years of her senatorial stint behind bars following drug-related charges, charges opponents of former President Rodrigo Duterte had said were politically-motivated.
Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 206 granted bail for her motion for reconsideration of De Lima’s last case, Criminal Case No. 17-167, amounting to P300,000 each, together with co-accused former corrections director Franklin Bucayu, Ronnie Dayan, Joenel Sanchez, and Jad Dera.
“I was already on the bus bound for Naga when she was finally released. I hoped that I would still be around when she went home to Iriga,” Robredo added.
True enough, she said she was going home the following day and wanted to pay homage to the Virgin of Peñafrancia and visit Archbishop Tirona, who was able to visit her a few times while she was in Camp Crame.
It was an emotional moment to see her outside the confines of the PNP Custodial Center. There was a lot of catching up to do. But first, lunch. She said she was craving Bicol food so that was what we had," the former Vice President added.
Robredo welcomed the former senator in Naga and accompanied her on her errands, including the renewal of her government identification cards, visiting Archbishop Tirona, visiting Penafrancia Basilica, and visiting Atty. De Lima’s mom's resting place.
“She said she urgently needs to see a Dentist and renew her Driver’s License. She said all her IDs are already expired and all she has now is her Senior Citizen’s ID. She said she brought home 5 of the stray cats she has been taking care of in Crame and she misses those she couldn’t take with her. She hasn’t gotten around cleaning and organizing her books, papers and effects yet. It was poignant listening to her immediate concerns now. She’s relearning how it is to live in freedom again," she said.
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