Detainee, baby should stay in Covid-free facility – Binay

SEN. Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay has asked jail officials and prosecutors to allow a political detainee, who recently gave birth, to be temporarily released from detention and to stay in a safe facility.

The senator on Sunday said critical care for nursing mothers is needed amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid- 19) pandemic. She stressed that the detainee and her baby must be transferred to a “Covid- free” facility.

Binay sought compassion “on humanitarian grounds” for Reina Mae Asis Nasino, a political detainee, who gave birth to her first child on July 1 at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila.

Nasino was whisked back to the Manila City Jail ( MCJ) on July 2.

With an inmate population of over 5,000,

Binay noted that the MCJ is one of the largest detention facilities in the Philippines run by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

“Plagued by low health care standards and a limited ability to test inmates, local jails are likely prone to any outbreak that can infect the general population,” she said.

“Sakondisyonatsitwasyonni Reina May atngkanyang baby, prone silangmag-ina sa infection sapiitan ( With the condition and situation of Reina May and her baby, they are prone to infection inside the detention center),” Binay added.

Nasino was one of three human rights activists arrested in Manila in November 2019. She was facing charges of illegal possession of firearms.

Binay said women detainees with health or special conditions should be shown compassion, especially nursing mothers.

“Poorly ventilated, overcrowded and cramped detention cells are one of the many coronavirus flashpoints. There are alternative ways of isolation or confinement outside of prison for those nursing their newborn child,” she added.

“I am appealing for greater compassion from the BJMP and the courts — for the best interest of both mother and the baby — to move them to a safer government-run facility or even a home for single mothers run by NGOs or a faith-based institution where their healthcare needs are taken care of,” she continued.

Binay pressed for a review of the policies and protocols of the BJMP regarding women detainees, especially their access to medical care and facilities, are still relevant with the “new normal.”

Since 2014, the senator has filed and refiled several proposed bills and resolutions for alternative ways of confinement based on humanitarian grounds.

She has also sought for the review of existing standards for the health care needs of pregnant inmates in order to meet the special needs of women and nursing mothers in jails.

“Nakakalungkot ( It is saddening) because there is clearly a contrast to the VIP treatment some prisoners and influential detainees receive from the government, who provide security escorts and allow the prisoner to seek outside medical care,” Binay said.