Raymund endured all the
hardships he faced in prison,
while their case
is being heard.
But, in spite of everything,
Shella never gave up on him.
[RAYMUND] What also helped me
was writing letters to Shella.
You see, every day, I'd write
five to seven back-to-back pages
about how I feel and
think about her.
I think it's because
he's my first love.
For me, whatever happens,
we'll face it together.
So, when I saw the situation...
You see, he broke up
with me several times,
and I'd tell him
"No, it's okay. I can wait."
I'd say something
like that to him.
You see, I really took
the relationship seriously.
[JUDY ANN] But,
because a witness
positively identified Raymund
to be at the crime scene,
he was not allowed to post bail.
That's when Raymund
completely lost hope.
And this affected his
relationship with Shella.
[MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING]
What's this?!
Are you breaking up with me?!
Shella, I don't think
I'll ever get out of here.
You better just forget
about me.
- There's no more hope for us.
- No! Don't say that!
Instead of enjoying
your college life,
you're still worrying about me.
Shella, I don't want you having
a hard time because of me.
Don't worry about me!
I can take care of myself!
We can get through this,
Raymund!
I won't give up on you,
so please don't give up
on me too!
[SHELLA] Before we parted ways,
we kissed between the bars.
Then, after we left,
one of my close friends
spoke to me.
For him, our relationship
was very pathetic.
He said he pitied
Raymund and I,
and we deserve to be happy.
I was told we had to have
a normal relationship.
One of our lawyers
withdrew from the case.
Then, I heard my parents
were already buried in debt.
You know? We already had
lots of financial problems.
My father could not
get promoted.
In a way, I was in
so much doubt.
That's right.
It reached a point where
I had trouble sleeping.
[SCREAMING]
[HOWLING]
You see, Shella and I were
already broken up that time.
I formalized our breakup
through a letter.
I told her to forget about me
and she won't get anything
from me anymore
because I think I'd be
in jail for a long time.
I told her I was
really letting her go,
and the more I was
letting her go,
the more I know
that I love her.
[JUDY ANN] Raymund felt like
he had lost everything.
Good thing a friend
came into his life.
That friend is Bobby Quitain.
We both knew each other from UP.
He organized visits
to me in jail.
When I was in UP,
I was also an activist.
I didn't believe in God anymore.
And when I was in jail,
I felt the same way.
I couldn't understand
why I was in jail.
But, as Bobby said,
there must've been a reason why
I was brought inside.
The promise of a smart
and skilled person...
I told myself it would be
a shame if that man
just goes to jail because
his life would be wasted.
So I thought of introducing him
on a deeper level
to the God that I knew.
[JUDY ANN] Because of
the spiritual guidance
Bobby was giving,
Raymund regained the courage
to fight.
Eventually, God answered
his prayers.
When I faced the judge,
I prayed to go free.
I kept praying.
I was very tense.
You know? I was praying.
Lord, please!
And then...
"Premises considered..."
"Raymund Narag..."
All five of us
were acquitted.
[JUDY ANN] After six years,
Raymund and his four
other companions were freed,
while five of their
fraternity brothers
were sentenced to
life imprisonment.
And when he was finally freed,
Raymund first went back...
...to Shella.
[RAYMUND] Shella called me
on the phone.
I told her I was already
a free man
and I was going to
claim her back
because she was the first woman
I'd look for.
[SHELLA] A friend of mine
told me:
"I know you still
love each other."
You see, that friend of mine
saw the spark in our eyes
when we were together.
So my friend told me
that Raymund was the one for me.
[RAYMUND] The mere fact that
she allowed me to pick her up
at the docks,
I knew that was it.
Because when I held her hand,
it was the same
feeling that I had
when I first held her hand
in 1994.
It was true love.
Magic.
That's how I'll describe it.
Because I don't know if
my young adult daughter
would be able to go through
what I went through
if she were to experience
the same thing at this time.
She'll only be able to
if it's true love.
[RAYMUND] I love her
in many different ways.
And I love her
on different levels.
And I will say that
I could trade my life for hers.
If my life has to end
for her life to continue,
I would definitely
do it for her.
[JUDY ANN] Right now, Raymund
works as an assistant professor
at a university in America.
Raymund continues to help
Persons Deprived of Liberty
here in the Philippines
as his way of expressing
his gratitude
and fulfilling
his promise to God.
Raymund is very grateful
to Bobby,
who taught him to fight
through faith
and to not lose hope.
Bobby, how can I ever thank you?
You were there during the
darkest moments of my life.
This is a token of my gratitude.
It's a lamp.
You came and served as my light
during the time that
I was in the dark.
So, Bobby, thank you
very much.
I am very grateful to you
for all the help you gave me.
[BOBBY] As a missionary,
we don't expect any payment.
The only reward we get
is seeing other people
going closer to God
and changing their lives.
So, Raymund, thank you.
You make us proud.
You make me proud.
Thank you very much
for responding well
to the love of God.
That was Bobby.
He's a lawyer
and a missionary,
who was Raymund's
guardian angel.
But, he also lost faith
in God once.
