Davide faces Garcia in House probe

CEBU, Philippines - Governor Hilario Davide III will face his predecessor, former governor and now Third District Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia, in today’s congressional inquiry into the stripping of inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC).

Jason Monteclar, spokesperson of the provincial government, said the governor was in high spirits yesterday and is ready to face Garcia’s committee on justice at the House of Representatives.

“For him, it is an opportunity to shed light concerning several issues surrounding CPDRC in general,” Monteclar said.

The management of the provincial jail falls directly under the office of the governor.

Several town mayors will reportedly fly with Davide to Manila to support his appearance in Congress.

Davide, himself a lawyer, said earlier he will not bring a legal counsel to the hearing.

During the controversial operation last February 28, the male inmates were made to strip down and were herded together with the female inmates at the jail’s quadrangle.  The female inmates were made to stay in one corner.

In a privilege speech in March, Garcia said the inquiry will tackle two main issues: The drug trade inside CPDRC that allegedly continues to flourish and the "cruel, inhuman and degrading” manner by which the raid in February was carried out, as described by Amnesty International.

"Both issues have one common denominator: Governor Hilario Davide III. The buck stops with him," Garcia said in her privilege speech.

Davide, for his part, said Garcia is just thirsty for grandstanding, adding, "I will tell all and she won’t like it."

Yesterday, Garcia retorted, “Unlike someone we all know, I do not telegraph my punches.”

Authorities recovered 76 cellular phones, including those of a suspected drug personality; 19 medium sachets of shabu worth at least P30,000; cash amounting P92,000; a laptop and media players; lighters; and drug paraphernalia during the raid.

The inmates had said that stripping naked was not an issue to them, except for the fact that they stripped naked in front of women.

Garcia had said that during her term as a governor, CPDRC was hailed the world over with videos of its dancing inmates going viral online.

“But the once world-class showcase and best practice model is no more. The current leadership of the province, either by sheer incompetence or shameless complicity, has brought the CPDRC to its sad and sorry state today," the former governor had said in her speech. (FREEMAN)