Press Release Unfazed despite continued unjust detention, De Lima takes courage from ordinary people for vindication Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima's political persecution by the Duterte administration may be relentless but she maintained that it only further bolstered her determination and resolve to fight her ongoing battle for freedom and vindication. In a memoir she wrote for the recently-concluded online event called "Free the Word!" organized by the Philippine Center of International PEN, De Lima shared that she takes courage from the ordinary people for vindication from all the trumped-up drug charges filed against her. "My faith has never faltered. As I always remind my staff and my family, surrendering our fears, our doubts, our anger to God does not mean consenting to the abuse and suffering. No. Never. Rather, it's accepting the painful struggle in the promise that nothing lasts forever, and that good will always prevail. And indeed, it is," she said.