Detained Senator Leila de Lima arrived at the Manila Doctors Hospital yesterday for “major” surgery.
Her Senate office urged the public to pray for her successful operation. “We ask for prayers for the success of the surgery to be conducted within this coming week on the person of Sen. Leila de Lima, and for her early recovery therefrom,” said a statement from her office.
De Lima has been granted by the courts a five-day medical furlough for the said medical procedure.
The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court 204 and 256 granted De Lima’’s medical furlough to undergo a vaginal hysterectomy with anterior and posterior colporrhaphy as recommended by her doctor.
She was diagnosed with Stage 3 pelvic organ prolapse during her medical check-up last April.
The senator has been detained since February 2017 at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame over what she insisted at trumped-up drug charges.
She sought reelection in the last May 9 elections but lost. De Lima thanked the court for its speedy action on her medical request.
The outgoing senator promised she will not stay in the hospital if it was not necessary. She would also strongly adhere to the health and safety protocols being implemented by Inter-Agency Task Force.
De Lima’s request for a medical furlough has been granted, her lawyer said.
The detained lawmaker’s camp asked the courts handling her drug-related cases for a medical leave for a “major procedure” that would remove part of her uterus as it has already become a “concern,” ABS-CBN reported.
De Lima’s legal counsel Atty. Filibon Tacardon, quoted in the report, said “De Lima’s medical furlough was approved, and she is set to go to Manila Doctors for her medical procedure.
The lawyer said the “extremely urgent motion” was filed as she was advised by doctors “to undergo a vaginal hysterectomy with anterior and posterior colporrhaphy or vaginal wall repair at the soonest possible time.”
De Lima’s surgery would start on June 19 and the medical furlough would last until June 23, the report said.
Her lawyer also said they were on standby to request additional days for the furlough in case the senator needed more time for her recovery.
Detained since 2017, De Lima calls the drug charges against her “political persecution” allegedly spurred by her criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics crackdown, which his administration denies.
Several witnesses recently recanted their allegations against her.