MANILA - Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chair Chito Gascon visited Senator Leila de Lima, who he described as "in high spirits" despite being detained at the Philippine National Police custodial center in Camp Crame.

He said De Lima was in good condition and was expecting a worse situation.

"She’s good. She’s in high spirits actually," he said in a phone interview with ANC Saturday.

"She says she doesn’t have any health concerns right now. She herself said that she was expecting worse. It’s a bit hot and were concerned about that and its implications on her health but she’s pressing on," he added.

Gascon said he was accompanied by two more human rights commissioners in the visit.

Gascon earlier said he had trouble entering the facility, as cops asked for a mission order prior his entry. He was able to get in through the help of “a couple of friends” in the PNP.

Gascon said De Lima is the only woman in the detention facility, which he said has adequate security with a 24-hour female guard on duty.

He described De Lima's room as "small but not tiny" and has a small window with a separate toilet and receiving area.

"The room is small but it isn’t tiny. There is some ventilation. There’s a small window in the bedroom area," he said.

The senator, according to Gascon, has also requested for some equipment to help her continue her work as a senator.

"We hope that the Philippine government will continue to ensure that she is in good condition while in custody," he said.

• READ: De Lima detained, determined to clear name

Gascon is a known critic of the administration’s war on drugs, having expressed alarm at the rising number of drug-related deaths recorded around the country, which he claimed rivaled the deaths recorded during the first years of martial law.

Gascon’s statements were dismissed as “reckless and insensitive” by presidential son and Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte in December last year, as they were allegedly meant to “attack and undermine President Duterte and his agenda to rid the country of illegal drugs."]

Two relatives of De Lima were also able to visit the embattled senator, though they also encountered delays in gaining entry, because they were not in the list of people allowed to visit.

Earlier, De Lima released a statement hitting the administration for "diluting the essence of EDSA" in addition to allegedly curtailing democracy, as President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to bring back martial rule, and supported a violent anti-drug campaign.

The senator’s representatives have yet to say anything about De Lima's first night in detention.

De Lima's legal team is set to question the Muntinlupa Regiona Trial Court Branch 204's issuance of a warrant for her arrest at the Supreme Court. --with reports from Primy Cane, ABS-CBN News