To keep visitation privileges safe: Inmates give cellphones up

CEBU, Philippines - Less than a month after a search of the Cebu Province Detention and Rehabilitation Center yielded improvised weapons, several sachets of shabu, drugs paraphernalia, and gadgets, inmates the other day turned over 184 cellular phones to authorities so as not to compromise the restoration of their visitation privileges.

Last Thursday, Bobby Legaspi, head of the Capitol Civil Security Unit, said they inspected the jail including the isolation rooms and conjugal rooms where they were able to confiscate  several contraband including iPhones, two pocket Wi-Fis,  DVD players, and shanks, although they were not able to confiscate drugs of drug paraphernalia.

They also inspected the isolation cell of the high-profile drug personality Alvaro "Barok" Alvaro, but found no contraband there.

Still not satisfied after the inspection, the jail officials told the inmates' leader Lito Granada to tell the inmates about the restoration of their visitation privileges on Monday; however they should turn over all the contraband in their possession in order not to compromise the development.

In all 184 cell phones were voluntarily surrendered by the inmates to jail officials.

"We told them that pretty much the governor already approved their dalaw which will be next week so with this new news so this is actually grounds for termination or suspension of the dalaw. So we gave them until 5 p.m. We actually told him (Granada), if he can talk to all the inmates and voluntarily surrender all the contrabands by 5 p.m. and Gov will decide on either we will continue the dalaw or we actually suspend," Legaspi said.

The inmates said these cellphones were allegedly overlooked during the jail search conducted last August 13, not smuggled in after the operation.

Legaspi said the August 13 operation was done well, but he believes inmates are imaginative when it comes to hiding items.

"I believe it was good, it's just that they have good hiding places," he said.

Even Granada still believes there are still contraband in the cells. However, he said whenever contraband is found on an inmate, his cellmates share the sanctions imposed by the jail.

"If we confiscate any contraband including cell phones, where that inmate belongs, that cell where he belongs to, then we will sanction everybody inside that cell," Legaspi said.

Legaspi said the main reason inmates keep gadgets is to communicate with their families outside the jail.

Senior Inspector Zosimo Jabas Jr., team leader of the Provincial Public Safety Company, said all Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards in the surrendered phones will be examined while the phones will be destroyed.

However, he said some of the cellphones turned over have no SIM cards, believing these are still being kept by inmates.

New policies

From now on there will be no more physical contact between visitors and inmates. There will also be clustering of visitors.

These were some of the new guidelines set by the jail management as it is set to restore visitation privileges to inmates on Monday. The privileges were suspended last August 5 after inmate Arnel Mait escaped the jail pretending to be a leaving visitor.

Officials of the CPDRC have readied a visitation room with 13 cubicles where the families can stay inside.

"Currently, we counted 13 cubicles. (The) standard visitation room (will be) divided by glass so the inmates will be outside and the visitors will be inside the room," said Legaspi.

He said each inmate will have 30 minutes to talk to his or her visitor. Since they will be clustering visitors, not all inmates can see their visitors during one day.

Governor Hilario Davide III earlier said the clustering will allow them to better monitor the visitors.  Legaspi said visits will be from Monday to Friday and start at 8 a.m. and stop at 4 p.m., there will be no overnight stays inside the jail.

Legaspi added that conjugal rooms will still be available for married couples and clarified that these are not for rent. Currently there are 19 conjugal rooms inside the jail.

"On the conjugal (rooms) they have to show marriage certificate or report. If it's a girlfriend they cannot (use the conjugal room)," Legaspi said.

Also part of their new policy, Jabas added, is that visitors are no longer allowed to bring phones with them while visiting inmates to ensure no gadgets are brought into the jail.

"Naa man ta'y gibuhat nga guidelines sa mga visitors nga mosulod diri. We will not allow visitors to bring cellphones with them inside ibilin na sa gawas. They will undergo thorough checks, the same ato sila, to make sure nga wala," Jabas said.   (FREEMAN)