De Lima confirms sequel to prison letters collection ‘Dispatches from Crame’
BAGUIO, Philippines – If you were on former senator Leila de Lima’s mailing list during her incarceration, you would have received almost daily scanned letters from her. These could be her reactions to a story, a birthday greeting to a dear friend, or an announcement to the world. They were written on her official Senate stationery in her distinctive cursive handwriting, which the late journalist Rina Jimenez-David described as “spiky and distinctive.”
In 2018, more than a year after her incarceration, her first collection of letters, titled Dispatches from Crame, was launched as an e-book. The sequel is eagerly awaited, as it is expected to include her near-death hostage incident and her eventual release.
During a meeting with her supporters at Hill Station Restaurant in Baguio on Wednesday night, September 25, De Lima confirmed that she is indeed working on the sequel.
“I know I will be very busy in the coming months, but I hope to launch it soon,” she said.
De Lima explained that she had been writing her prison letters by hand to maintain her sanity and combat loneliness while in detention. Her aides would bring her Senate stationery, and she always wrote with a Pilot Hi-Tecpoint pen in blue ink. Afterward, her aides would scan the letters and send them via email.
She also had access to newspapers, and her aides would sometimes bring her a compilation of articles on the week’s important issues. Since she didn’t have access to the internet, her aides would bring her a USB stick with movies she requested.
“But the guards had to check them first, so they would watch them,” she said. This was how she got hooked on Korean rom-coms, with Crash Landing on You remaining her favorite.
Being disconnected from the internet had its advantages, De Lima said. She was able to read books, write letters, and stay connected with God.
What she didn’t tell her Baguio fans was that she became a cat lady while in prison, at one point caring for as many as 20 cats.
She only realized that some of her fellow inmates may have been somewhat sympathetic to her when she was taken hostage on October 9, 2022, by a detainee belonging to the Abu Sayyaf.
De Lima recounted her harrowing ordeal in detail at Hill Station, including the moment when the hostage-taker told her he would spare her life if she handed over her cellphone. She replied that she wasn’t allowed to have one. “I don’t have a cellphone. That’s prohibited, you know that,” she said.
The hostage-taker responded that it was impossible, as almost everyone had one, De Lima recalled.
Now that she is out of prison, De Lima has decided to return to politics by joining the Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party List. She will serve as the first nominee, with former Ifugao representative Teddy Baguilat as the second nominee, and Representative Erin Tañada as the third nominee. – Rappler.com