CEBU CITY – CEBU governor Hilario Davide III defended their recent action regarding the surprise raid done inside the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC).
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7, upon the request of Davide, conducted the greyhound operation last Tuesday where 76 cellular phones, 19 medium sachets of shabu, P92,000, laptop and media players, lighters and drug paraphernalia were recovered.
Pictures of naked inmates made their rounds in social media that gained widespread reactions from netizens. The Commission on Human Rights is conducting an investigation.
Among those who disapprove of the action was Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma who described the stripping naked of inmates by authorities as “improper”.
“Precisely, I said these are improper things to do. Put yourself in the shoes of these people and their families. Is this the best approach?” Palma told reporters.
Davide however assured that everything was done within the bounds of the law and were never meant to disregard the rights of the inmates.
While Davide did not give “expressed order” to strip naked the CPDRC inmates, he does not see any violation in doing such.
In a statement, Davide said the inmates being stripped naked is clearly under the discretion of PDEA-7 ground operatives and commanders.
PDEA-7 Head Yogi Filemon Ruiz questioned the CHR as to why it raised the issue only now. Ruiz maintained they did not violate any human right when they ordered the prisoners to strip.
“There was no intention to degrade. The intention there is for the protection of our personnel and the detainees.
The search was done in an orderly and peaceful manner. Wa tay gipakauwawan (we did not shame anyone),” he told reporters in a press conference.
Visiting right at the CPDRC has been suspended until the augmentation force from the Public Safety Battalion of the Cebu Provincial Police Office comes in, according to acting jail warden Roberto Legaspi. (Mars Mosqueda, Jr.)