Davide, Garcia cordial in probe

Despite strong words prior to yesterday, no heated exchange occurred between Governor Hilario Davide III and Cebu Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia at the House Committee on Justice where Davide is being investigated in relation to the stripping of inmates at the Cebu provincial jail.

Davide stood firm that he did not order the inmates stripped during the greyhound operation at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) on February 28, 2017.

Derrick Carreon, spokesperson of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), also came to Davide’s defense, saying he may just have been misquoted by newspaper reports that said it was the governor who ordered the inmates stripped.

PDEA carried out the raid. It was Garcia, a member of the committee, who pointed out Carreon’s supposed statement to the press. It was also Garcia, Davide’s predecessor, who called for an investigation into the stripping controversy.

Garcia said the investigation would tackle two main issues: The drug trade inside CPDRC that allegedly continues to flourish and the manner by which the raid in February was carried out.

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

Despite the strong words, however, the exchange between Garcia and Davide yesterday was cordial.

PDEA-7 Director Yogi Ruiz told the committee that the inmates were stripped in other raids, not just during the February 28 operation, for the safety and security on the part of the raiding team.

This is reportedly allowed in the joint administrative guidelines between PDEA and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for which the committee's chairman, Rep. Vicente Veloso, cautioned Ruiz:

"You should be cautious because what you are saying is incriminating yourself with your admission," he said.

Amnesty International has described the stripping of the inmates as "cruel, inhuman and degrading.”

During the controversial operation, 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.

During the hearing, Davide defended Marco Toral, the former Capitol consultant on jail matters, as being experienced in the field and someone he trusted.

Cebu City North District Representative Raul del Mar suggested that male inmates who will be stripped during operations should be placed in a room away from female inmates.

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

DRUGS

Davide said on the issue of drugs in jail:

"That's right. It's an evil that refuses to die. No less than the President himself admitted in several occasion that the war against drugs is not a walk in the park… the proliferation of illegal drugs is very much prevalent and has gone wide spread beyond our imagination.”

CPDRC has 3,017 inmates, a number which is way beyond its intended capacity of 1,500.

Ruiz' statement that it is difficult to put a time frame on cleaning the jail of illegal drugs irked Rep. Arnulfo Teves, Jr., a member of the committee.

"Jail is a controlled environment. If you cannot control the people inside the jail, how much more those who are outside?" Teves argued.

Ruiz said he will resign from PDEA if an investigation will show the agency has personnel involved in illegal drugs.

Garcia said yesterday's hearing was but “the initial stage in trying to ferry out the truth."

The next hearing may take place in August or September.

Present at the committee yesterday were Cebu congressmen Wenifredo Caminero, Gerard Anthony Gullas, and Peter Calderon, as well as Cebu Board Member Sun Shimura.

Some Cebu mayors were also present.