BJMP assigns new warden for jail having Ampatuans in custody

MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has ordered the relief of the jail warden of the Metro Manila District Jail (MMDJ) where members of the influential Ampatuan clan have been detained, BJMP chief Director Rosendo Dial said Thursday.

Dial relayed the information to the media a day after private prosecutors claimed that some of the accused were planning to cause a commotion at Thursday’s hearing.

He said Chief Inspector Glendale Valdepeña replaced Senior Inspector Emmanuel Tolentino, who was appointed as MMDJ warden in October 2010.

However, Dial said Tolentino’s relief was just part of the “routine” reshuffle and was not caused by the allegations of lawyer Harry Roque.

He said Valdepeña assumed his new post on Monday.

“If you remember, there were information that somebody tried to bribe our past warden and other jail officers. So what we did after that was to change our men quarterly to avoid familiarity (with the inmates),” Dial said over the phone.