De Lima hopes mom would see her vindicated

Senator Leila de Lima’s younger brother Vicente “Vicboy” II, speaking with the press during the senator’s visit to her mother in Iriga City on Thursday. INQUIRER PHOTO/GEORGE GIO BRONDIAL/INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON

IRIGA CITY—Detained Sen. Leila de Lima is praying her 86-year-old mother would live long enough to witness her daughter’s vindication from the injustice done her, the lawmaker’s younger brother, Vicente “Vicboy” de Lima II, said on Thursday.

The senator, the eldest of four children, visited her ailing mother, Norma, in this city in Camarines Sur province after the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC)  Branches 205 and 256 granted her a 48-hour furlough.

Glorious day

“This is a glorious day for us because, after 900-plus days, our sister is back… to be with our ailing mother,” Vicboy told reporters before a Mass at their house in Barangay San Agustin here.

Vicboy said the last time his sister visited their ancestral home was in December 2016.

De Lima, who has been detained since February 2017 on drug-related charges, was earlier granted furlough for the May 2019 midterm elections and the thanksgiving dinner for her son, Vincent Joshua, who passed the recent bar examination.

De Lima was escorted by the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team from the Legazpi City police and the Albay provincial police from the Legazpi City airport.

According to De Lima’s brother, the senator hugged her mother and asked her, “‘Who am I?’ Our mom said, ‘You’re Leila.’ They were happy and they hugged again.”

De Lima’s mother was suffering from dementia, according to the furlough document from Branch 256 of the Muntinlupa RTC.

“It was a beautiful reunion,” Vicboy said.