Nobody wants custody of this detainee in the local prison—not the Cebu City mayor nor the Cebu governor.
Mayor Michael Rama said he is not in favor of transferring former Lezo mayor Alfredo Arsenio of Aklan to the Cebu City Jail because the inmate would just add to problems of running it.
The Capitol yesterday filed a motion in court seeking the transfer of Arsenio out of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), saying the jail is only for inmates from Cebu.
Arsenio, who is charged with the 2004 murder of a radio broadcaster in Kalibo Aklan, was in the limelight twice since February when he was spotted enjoying liberties like eating out in a restaurant and then holding a birthday party in the warden’s office.
Two CPDRC wardens were suspended immediately after both incidents were reported in the media.
Governor Garcia noted the mayor’s opposition.
“I understand the Mayor Rama is also not keen on accommodating Mr. Arsenio. That again illustrates the obvious, that in spite of the statements of one editorial, this prisoner is really a problem. He has the capability to corrupt and bribe guards,” she told reporters.
The motion to transfer Arsenio was filed in Branch 16 of the Cebu Regional Trial Court.
The murder trial was earlier moved to Cebu on orders of the Supreme Court to prevent the inmate from harassing witnesses or influencing the course of justice in his home province of Aklan.
The urgency to transfer Arsenio again, this time out of CPDRC, developed as the Capitol felt the pressure of questions raised by prosecutors about favored treatment enjoyed by the inmate, whom Capitol officials called a “headache.”
Mayor Rama said he won’t allow Arsenio’s transfer to the Cebu City Jail unless he’s assured that jail personnel can handle another high-risk inmate.
“We do not wish to get involved in a matter while we have other matters needing our attention,” he said.
“His crime was committed outside of the city. Besides, city jail personnel can’t guarantee there’s no hanky panky in the jail.”
“If it can be preempted, it will have to be preempted. Let it be known that we are not ready.”
The Cebu City Jail is under the PNP Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and used to enjoy financial support from City Hall until management problems—overcrowding, contraband, corruption—prompted then mayor Tomas Osmeña to cut it off.
In contrast, the CPDRC is run by the Cebu provincial government.
In an interview, Capitol lawyer Lito Astillero said the Cebu city government can’t decide this matter since the city jail is under the BJMP.
He said a check of Arsenio’s case records showed that the venue of the trial was indeed moved from Aklan to Cebu City. But the motion of the prosecutor of the Department of Justice (DOJ) was for the inmate to be detained at the “CPDRC/BJMP Cebu City.”
“There is a confusion that both the CPDRC and the Cebu City Jail are under the BJMP,” said the governor.