De Lima camp mulls seeking home furlough after hostage-taking

MANILA — The camp of detained former Senator Leila de Lima on Monday said they are considering applying for home furlough over fears for her safety, after she was briefly held hostage by a fellow detainee at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame.

• 3 Crame detainees killed in foiled escape plan; De Lima briefly held hostage

Her lawyer Filibon Tacardon said this is the first time they are exploring this, contrary to Sen. Imee Marcos' remark that the PNP and Department of Justice had supposedly offered her this option as early as July.

He said De Lima the option of jail transfer was raised when De Lima protested after US Senator Edward Markey was initially barred from seeing her in September.

• 'Outrageous': Barred De Lima visitors slam PNP's 'unreasonable', 'verbal' denial
• US delegation visits De Lima after court approvals

“We all know that when Senator Markey tried to first visit Senator Leila de Lima, his team was prevented by PNP, and when Senator Leila tried to raise it with the custodial center officers, that was the time that the offer was made,” Tacardon told ANC’s “Rundown”.

“And actually the offer was made this way, according to Senator Leila: ‘Kung hindi na po kayo masaya sa amin, pwede naman kayong lumipat,’” he added. “It was not really a formal offer to transfer…it was more of a reaction on the part of PNP when Senator Leila actually protested the first time that Senator Markey was prevented.”

(The offer was made this way, according to Senator Leila: ‘If you are no longer happy with us, you can transfer.’)

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Meanwhile, De Lima’s spokesperson Atty. Dino de Leon, said he was not discounting the possibility that the former lawmaker was specifically targeted by the 3 detained Abu Sayyaf Group members who took her hostage during an attempted breakout.

“There are a lot of questions, as you’ve mentioned. How did it arrive to this? It’s like a maze inside the custodial center. Even us, I’ve been there several times, I get lost throughout the maze,” De Leon said.

“Why is it that these terrorists were easily able to roam around the facility, knew exactly where to go, why is it nakabukas yung mga gates (why were the gates open), why is it they were able to enter Senator De Lima’s quarters unhampered and unrestrained?” he asked.

De Lima has been held for more than 5 years with other high-profile detainees at the national police headquarters.

On Sunday morning, a police officer handing out breakfast was stabbed with a fork by an inmate, who then freed 2 others from their cells.

Two of the prisoners were shot dead by a sniper. The third prisoner ran to De Lima's cell. He tied up and blindfolded the 63-year-old before a police officer shot him in the head, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos told reporters.

De Lima said the inmate held her at knifepoint and threatened to kill her. She credited the police with saving her life.

• ‘Near-death experience’: How ex-Sen. Leila de Lima survived a hostage-taking

The head of the PNP custodial unit has been removed from his post following the hostage-taking.

• PNP custodial unit chief sacked after De Lima hostage crisis

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and forensic teams are investigating the incident, PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. told TeleRadyo.

He said De Lima was moved to the PNP General Hospital on Sunday night to help her recover from the incident.

— With a report from Agence France-Presse