People find Leila De Lima not old, plump, grouchy in person

Liberal Party senatorial candidate Leila de Lima is a guest in Pandesal Forum in Quezon City. NINO JESUS ORBETA

Apparently the camera adds not only 10 pounds to one’s figure but also years to her age and sourness to her facial expression—or so senatorial hopeful Leila de Lima has found after a month on the campaign trail.

The former justice secretary recounted how people, upon seeing her in person for the first time, would exclaim in surprise: “Hindi naman pala kayo matanda, mataba at masungit (It turns out you are not old, plump and grouchy).”

Speaking at the Pandesal Forum in Quezon City, the Liberal Party senatorial candidate jokingly blamed the media for giving the public a wrong idea about her.

“It’s because the media never show me when I’m smiling. The camera always catches me looking stern or angry,” she said.

De Lima admitted that she had “two faces” which tended to influence public opinion and perception about her: “One is a scary face, and the other is a not-so-scary face,” she said.

But Filipinos, once they meet her up close, would realize that “I’m an ordinary woman, a mother, a grandmother, a probinsyana (someone from the province),” said De Lima, who hails from Iriga City.

Fearless but soft

The former chair of the Commission on Human Rights has capitalized on such a duality on the stump, branding herself a fearless crime-buster hard on criminals but soft on victims.

She is running on a platform of reforms in the criminal justice system and expanded government protection for victims of crime, as well as decongestion of the heavily populated penal systems, full implementation of the antitrust law and elimination of smuggling.

And it appears to be working in her favor so far—she has consistently ranked among the top 10 senatorial candidates in voter preference polls.

“My first month on the campaign trail is no joke,” De Lima said. “But I’m enjoying it. I find it an enriching experience. I deal with so many people from different sectors.”

Summing up what she has learned about politics, she said it was all about “winning more friends, trying to influence others and being influenced by them in turn.”

“I feel humbled by the fact that wherever I go, I see very warm, positive and enthusiastic response from the crowds,” she said.

At the forum, De Lima was asked to state her views on touchy issues, from same-sex marriage to euthanasia.

“On same-sex marriage, I cannot support that yet … The Philippines is not ready,” she said.

 ‘That’s love’

But she added that she recognized that homosexual couples should be entitled to the same benefits accorded by the state to married people.

“They also need protection and they should have same rights … because that’s love, we cannot intervene in that,” she said.

Thus, De Lima said it was high time to open the discussion on civil unions for same-sex couples.

“We can start to be open to it by crafting laws (that would give) benefits and the effects of a civil union (to same-sex couples),” she said.

Divorce, euthanasia

On divorce, De Lima, whose marriage to her husband was annulled, said she was “not promoting” divorce or the separation of couples.

“But we have to be realistic about marital life. Sometimes staying together is more oppressive,” she said. “We have to ensure we have the right process. Divorce should be based on legal grounds and not for very light reasons.”

Euthanasia, or medically assisted suicide, De Lima said, is a very sensitive issue.

“I’m not ready to support that. But it really depends on the situation. If there is no other way medically (to save a person), when the person concerned is really, really suffering, I’m open to looking further into that,” she said.

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