Recto asks Marcos: Free Leila De Lima

Senator Ralph Recto on Wednesday made an impassioned plea to President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to free Senator Leila de Lima who has been in detention due to her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade in New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

Recto, who won a seat as Batangas 6th district representative, issued the call as he gave his valedictory address at the last session day of the 18th Congress.

"Another feisty lady worthy of our respect is Leila de Lima, a prisoner of conscience, punished for her courage, but whose spirit no prison walls could contain. Trolls put her behind bars. The truth shall set her free," Recto said.

"Mr. President-elect, free Leila," he added.

The outgoing senator gave tribute to each senator of the 18th Congress through anecdotes that evoked nostalgia and laughter in the chamber's session hall.

"With Ping going full time on apo-stolic duties, the public lost a watchman who shines a powerful lantern on the national budget, or how taxes paid in cash are returned to the public in kind. He leaves behind big shoes to fill—shoes he also used to kick the behind of those who betray public trust," Recto said of Senator Panfilo Lacson, who said will enjoy his rest and recreation after his Senate stint.

In acknowledging Senator Richard Gordon, Recto recalled the Philippine Red Cross chairman's "iconic photo" during the Mount Pinatubo Eruption.

"Tulad ninyo, nalulungkot ako na hindi nakapasok si Dick, the country’s oldest and first responder. The most iconic photo of Dick in action, when his trademark courage and compassion were on full display, was during the Pinatubo eruption," he said.

"Here was a man running towards the most powerful volcanic eruption in history when people were running away from it. His CV of helping spans from Yoling to Yolanda. At ungodly hours, you would find him on the estribo of a fire truck. Natutulog yata siya with a fire alarm by his bedside," he added.

Meanwhile, Recto teased Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon over his photos where he was caught sleeping.

"Frank closing his eyes in deep thought has inspired a catalog of memes which would have made him a billionaire if he could monetize it. Not that he had dozed off in the Senate, but this I will state with certainty: a sleeping Drilon will have more activity in his brain than many of us awake," Recto said.

"He can even be pumped full of sedatives but will still retain computing power to outsmart the fully conscious among us. Like Tito, I admire his stamina and mental acuity. Write no requiem for this political heavyweight. This is just a break for him. The Big Man will be back," he added.

Recto compared the upper house to an orchestra, where President Vicente Sotto III was the conductor.

"If the Senate were an orchestra, Tito is the conductor, creating out of many sounds, one great musical piece—by many divas, if I may add. The truth is, he is better at writing laws than writing songs. Better in putting ideas into policies than words into music," Recto said.

"Tito has an ear for music, and this willingness to listen more than to speak, he had applied in composing laws, too, which is what makes him a great SP," he added.

As he joins the lower house next July, Recto urges his colleagues to always remember the heritage that makes the Senate a place of democracy and independence.

"In this age when our performances are gauged by shares and likes, the temptation is high to trade what is right over what is popular. When that beckons, let us remember the heritage which makes this institution a bulwark of democracy and independence," he said.