Cebu jail chief axed over strip search

MANILA, Philippines -  The jail warden of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center was relieved from his post Wednesday, following a raid at the facility the day before.

His relief, however, was not brought about by controversial photographs of prisoners who were made to strip at the provincial jail, as confirmed by provincial government information officer Jason Monteclaro.

“The photos of the naked prisoners were not the reason for his relief,” he said in a phone interview yesterday.

In a statement posted on the provincial government’s website, Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said he relieved jail warden Gil Macato after illegal drugs and other contraband were found after the raid.

Despite the measures taken, illicit goods still found their way into the facility, according to Davide.

Nineteen medium-sized packs of suspected shabu, P92,000 in cash, 76 mobile phones, laptops, bladed weapons and assorted drug paraphernalia were recovered by authorities from the facility.

The cash has been turned over to the governor’s office while the cellphones and illegal drugs will be handed to forensic experts and the crime laboratory, respectively.

Macato was replaced by Cebu Provincial Civil Security Unit chief Roberto Legaspi.

Was undressing necessary?

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) earlier ordered an investigation into the incident Tuesday at the Cebu provincial jail, where prisoners were made to strip naked during a search operation.

Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno wanted to know if it was really necessary to have the prisoners undressed while a search for contraband at the facility was ongoing.

Photos showing hundreds of prisoners at the jail have triggered accusations of more rights abuses in President Duterte’s war on drugs.

Amnesty International said the incident amounts to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners.

Monteclaro said Davide relied on the expertise of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) officials on how the operation would be conducted.

He justified that the stripping of inmates was necessary to protect the search team, which was outnumbered by the prisoners.

The search team was composed of about 280 personnel from PDEA, police and military, while inmates numbered to about 3,600.

‘Part of mutual safety’

Amid the controversy, presidential legal adviser Salvador Panelo sees no alarm over the decision of authorities to order inmates to strip during inspection.

While he said it was okay if done for security and disciplinary measures, he also expressed concern about the privacy of the inmates.

Panelo shares the view of PDEA-7 regional director Yogi Filemon Ruiz, saying that authorities implemented the move as part of mutual safety.

“Personally? For me, if it was all about security, perhaps, it was necessary. The only thing they should have been mindful of was that the naked body of a prisoner would not be exposed to the public,” he said in Filipino.

 “I was listening to the explanation of the superintendent. He said that if they did not do it, then even if there was only one hidden bladed weapon, plus there are several groups there, it could have triggered a riot if one inmate would have stabbed someone. Of course, there would have been chaos,” Panelo added.

Panelo was also concerned that the naked inmates’ photos were leaked to the public.

“They were right on the part of mutual safety. But they should also be careful that the naked inmates would not be photographed and exposed to the public,” he said.

Panelo’s statement came after the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed concern about the naked photos.

The CHR cited a United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, saying that “intrusive searches, including strip and body cavity searches, should be undertaken only if absolutely necessary.”