MANILA, Philippines?A former facility for juvenile delinquents at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig, is being eyed as the new jail to contain Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., the primary suspect in the Maguindanao massacre, and his co-accused.

The two jail cells on the fourth floor of the building, known as the ?Cradle? because of its young inmates, are being readied should the court order the transfer of Ampatuan Jr., who is now under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation.

?We?ve only been hearing of the supposed transfer in the news. There is no directive yet but the BJMP [Bureau of Jail Management and Penology] regional director, Chief Supt. Serafin Barretto, told us to prepare,? said Senior Insp. Lloyd Gonzaga, the BJMP-NCR chief of operations.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, who heads the BJMP, earlier said Ampatuan would be better secured in the Bicutan camp, which serves as the headquarters of the National Capital Region Police Office, than at the Quezon City jail.

Ampatuan Jr. is the only massacre suspect detained in Metro Manila. The other Ampatuan family members, who are also respondents in the multiple murder case, are being held in General Santos City.

Gonzaga said the isolated Cradle was being chosen over the Metro Manila District Jail (MMDJ), in which nearly 200 high-risk detainees, including suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), are being detained.

?It is more secure since it is on the fourth floor and is isolated. There are no other jail cells, so they won?t pose a danger to other inmates. It is also inside the camp so they will be surrounded by friendly forces,? he said.

He said the structure?s three other floors are occupied by the BJMP-NCR offices.
More secure

?[Ampatuan Jr. will be more secure here than at the Quezon City Jail where he will be mixed with other inmates. That jail is congested, the inmates sleep in shifts. We are ready for the Ampatuans,? said Senior Supt. Abraham Abella, the BJMP assistant regional director for administration.

The Inquirer was given a peek of the two jail cells that can accommodate up to 100 prisoners. Two layers of steel gates protect the facility, with the outer gate still adorned with the fish décor that had been especially built for its former youthful occupants.

The steel bars? white paint has begun to peel off, but Gonzaga said they would begin repainting it once Ampatuan Jr.?s move is confirmed.
Steel bunk beds

Each cell was filled with steel bunk beds with wooden panels, and had two toilets and a bathroom. The building?s windows are covered with cyclone wires for maximum security.

Visitors have to enter through two steel gates, manned by guards, before they can get into the building that is surrounded by a 10-feet perimeter wall topped with barbed wire.

?We also have the third battalion of the Special Action Force nearby so in case of emergencies, they can immediately respond,? Gonzaga said.

There are no closed-circuit television cameras in the Cradle, but Gonzaga, who may become its warden, said they would definitely be installed if the massacre suspects are moved here.

Abella said an additional steel gate would also be constructed near the stairs to the jail cells to screen visitors.

The BJMP?s stay-in workers who are currently using a part of the jail cells as their barracks may eventually be asked to transfer, he said.

There is a nearby courtroom that is being used to hear terrorist cases and could very well serve as the venue for the Maguindanao massacre case trial.