Leila’s 1,000th day of detention: De Lima’s friends in indignation run

Around 50 runners and more than a hundred supporters assembled near the ancestral house of the De Lima family to witness and participate in the indignation run organized by friends and relatives of Senator Leila de Lima to mark her 1000th day in detention.

IRIGA CITY--- Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima’s brother, Vicente “Vicboy” M. de Lima II, led the group of more than 50 runners who participated in the indignation run here to denounce the plight of his sister who marks her 1,000th day in unjust detention yesterday.

Vicboy, along with his runner-friends and acquaintances who are also vocal supporters of the senator, completed a 45-kilometer run dubbed “#1KNotOK Indignation Run” that kicked-off from and ended at the De Lima ancestral house here.

The runners came from different provinces, such as, Albay, Sorsogon, Quezon, Northern Samar, and Camarines Sur. The eldest participant in the run was a 65-year-old athlete.

“Our family strongly condemn the continued political persecution of my sister. We are very sad that despite the fact that she has served our country well as chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Secretary of Justice, and Senator, her rights have been abused, her person attacked and her freedom taken away,” Vicboy said.

During the long distance run, which started at around 1 o’clock in the morning, Vicboy and his fellow runners passed through the towns of Nabua and Buhi, two municipalities adjacent to Iriga City. The 45 KM route covers the area of Mt. Iriga.

It was not the first time that Vicboy, a rated runner, used his passion in running to protest her sister’s continued unjust detention and rally for her freedom. Sen. De Lima’s brother would often attend running events or hit the road alone while wearing a statement shirt bearing the catchphrase #OneForLeila.

Aside from him, several groups of runners have also expressed their solidarity with the Senator by wearing the #OneForLeila shirts and taking photos flashing the signature “D5” hand-sign in different running events.

Notably, De Lima’s former and present colleagues, supporters, and friends, led by Fr. Robert Reyes, Quezon City Rep. Kit Belmonte, and former House Reps. Tom Villarin, Erin Tañada and Gary Alejano also attended an indignation run held in Quezon City.

An outspoken critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. De Lima has been detained since Feb. 24, 2017 on what is termed as obviously trumped-up drug charges based mostly on false testimonies of convicted criminals as a result of her courage in speaking out against the oppressive polices of the Duterte administration.