An official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said those who authorized the reported stripping of inmates in a jail facility in Cebu should be held accountable.
Rodolfo Diamante, executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care, has called on the Commission on Human Rights to look into the incident and hold into account the people who authorized it.
“We call on the CHR to hold into account the people who authorized and execute this,” he said in an interview.
According to reports, the inmates were made to strip naked by anti narcotics agents during a raid at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC).
Seized during the raid were sachets of shabu among others.
However, an official of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the inmates were made to strip for both the safety of the prisoners and the raiding team.
But Diamante said such action was a “blatant violation” of the dignity of the human person and the human rights of the inmates.
“The CBCP ECPPC condemns this manner of the PDEA in carrying out their task,” he said.
Earlier, the Amnesty International said the incident amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners.
(LESLIE AQUINO)