MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — Calls for the release of former Sen. Leila de Lima from detention were made anew on Sunday after she was briefly held hostage by a fellow detainee at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

"#FreeLeilaNow" became trending on Twitter as thousands of accounts shared the news about Sunday morning's violent incident at the PNP Custodial Center following an attempted escape of three detainees, one of whom reportedly took de Lima as hostage.

• 3 Crame detainees killed in foiled escape plan; De Lima briefly held hostage

"De Lima has been held hostage by the Philippine government the past five years for her views and human rights advocacy. She should be released from police detention immediately," Human Rights Watch Philippines said in a tweet.

"We are horrified by the events that transpired today inside the headquarters of the Philippine National Police where former Senator Leila de Lima was, according to the police, taken hostage. This only underscores the compelling need to release her from police detention. She should never have been there to begin with," the group's senior researcher Carlos Conde said.

Former Vice President Leni Robredo also called on the public to pray for De Lima's recovery and eventual release, as well as for the immediate recovery of a police officer who was hurt in the incident.

"Dasal namin ang iyong kaligtasan at tuluyang paglaya, Sen Leila. Ang atin ding dasal sa kaligtasan at agarang paggaling ni PCpl Roger Agustin," Robredo said in a tweet.

Robredo's running-mate in the May 9 polls, former Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, called for a thorough investigation on the incident to "find out if there was negligence."

"We also reiterate our call that government take swift measures to fast-track the resolution of her cases. Former Sen. De Lima does not belong in prison, is being unjustly detained, and must be released," Pangilinan said.

De Lima's former colleagues in the Senate also joined in calls for her release.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros called the incident "unjust, barbaric, and despicable."

"How can armed detainees easily gain access to the custodial cell of Sen. Leila, which is deep inside the PNP national headquarters? What lapses in security must be addressed, and most of all, who is responsible for these lapses? We strongly deplore this breach of duty," she said in a statement.

"Now more than ever, we call for the immediate release of former Senator Leila from her unjust detention and the dropping of the trumped-up charges against her," she added.

Sen. Koko Pimentel said "the wheels of Justice in this country must move quicker" following the incident.

Senator Imee Marcos, for her part, urged De Lima to have the medical checkup she requires, and take up the extended furlough offered by the Department of Justice and the PNP back in July.

"I strongly urge Sen. Leila de Lima to have the medical checkup she requires, with her own physician, as well as immediately take up the extended home furlough that both the DOJ and the PNP offered as early as July. As a former members of the Kabataang Barangay together, we are all deeply worried about her health and safety," she said in a statement.

RJ Naguit of Akbayan said that "with these threats, it becomes more apparent that @AttyLeiladeLima and all those detained without formal charges must be released the soonest possible time."

Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes also said an investigation into the incident is important to see "if she was the target of some nefarious plan."

"It has been 5 years of unjust detention for the former Senator. It is high time that she be released. Free Leila de Lima. That is the least government can do," he added.

'PRAYERS FOR INJURED POLICEMAN'

In a statement released Sunday afternoon, De Lima expressed his gratitude to everyone who expressed concern for her after the incident, adding that she is in good condition albeit with some lingering pain.

She also narrated her "near-death experience", adding that the hostage-taker was determined to die and take her with him.

"After being told by the hostage-taker that since his two other companions were already dead, he’s certain he would also be killed and he might just as well also kill me, I consider what happened to me as a near-death experience. If not for the timely intervention of the PNP security force, I don't think I would have come out alive since the hostage-taker was already determined to die and take me with him," De Lima said.

De Lima likewise asked for prayers for the police officer who was injured in the incident.

"I am now safe and sound except for the lingering pain on my chest where the hostage-taker constantly pressed the point of his knife while holding me hostage. Please also pray for the injured police officer who, like me, was the other but more unfortunate victim of this incident. While I have survived with only a knife mark and some considerable distress, he is still fighting for his life. Let us all pray for his quick recovery," she said.

"While I am still trying to recover psychologically and emotionally from this harrowing experience, I am sure of one thing that I learned from it. Being so near death has only made me value life even more," De Lima added.

De Lima's lawyer, Filibon Tacardon, told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo that their camp hopes that the ex-lawmaker's petition for bail at the court will be granted.

"Bukas, patuloy naman yung kanyang hearing. Sana lang, maresolba na yung aming application for bail para makalaya na muna siya kahit pansamantala habang dinidinig ang kaniyang mga kaso," he said.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said he will speak with De Lima "to check on her condition and to ask if she wishes to be transferred to another detention center."

But according to Interior Sec. Benhur Abalos, the lawmaker is refusing the president's offer for her to be moved to another facility.

De Lima, 63, a staunch critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested on drug charges on February 24, 2017, after a long drawn-out public feud where the former president accused her of immorality and collecting money from drug sources and vowed to destroy her.

The former senator, who lost a senatorial reelection bid in May, has always maintained her innocence, rejecting the cases against her as fabricated and a product of political persecution.

De Lima, as former head of the Commission on Human Rights, initiated an inquiry into the Davao Death Squad and, as former senator and head of the Senate Justice committee, launched a probe on the bloody drug war — in both instances butting heads with Duterte.

Both topics are also the subject of an International Criminal Court probe.

• ‘6th birthday in jail’: De Lima reflects on detention as supporters vow to fight for her freedom

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