Opposition senators visit De Lima at Crame

Senators Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros and AntonioTrillanes IV field questions from the media outside the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame after visiting detained Sen. Leila De Lima. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Sen. Leila de Lima was in “high spirits” when her fellow opposition senators visited her at her detention cell at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Monday.

De Lima has been detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center since February over drug charges.

“She’s OK. She’s in high spirits,” Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon told reporters.

Drilon, and Senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros and Antonio Trillanes—arrived at Camp Crame around 11:00 a.m. and left at past 12 noon.

“She said her stress has somewhat eased because there is no Ipad, cellphone, laptop. She becomes stressed only when she reads the newspapers,” Pangilinan said.

Hontiveros said De Lima was busy reading the Bible and other materials so she would be updated on what is happening in the outside world.

“She exercises of course and eat at the proper time. She reads a lot of newspapers so she will be updated on the latest news and so she can comment on some burning issues,” Hontiveros added.

De Lima maintained she did not discuss any plot to unseat President Duterte with the visiting fellow senators.

Mocking Mr. Duterte’s fanatic supporters, De Lima said in a handwritten message: “Absolutely no (destabilization) plan tackled as there is no such thing. Sorry to disappoint the paranoids among the Duterte sycophants.”