Mayor consoles Joavan in Cebu jail visit

AFTER being “welcomed” by inmates last Wednesday, Joavan Fernandez received some food and consolation from his visiting adopted father, Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez yesterday.

The mayor, a lawyer and Joavan’s wife chatted with Joavan at the visiting area for 15 minutes.

“They cannot stay long because of the time limits for visitors,” said Senior Insp. Dennis Aliño, acting warden of the Cebu provincial jail.

Joavan ate breakfast with the other inmates.

“He has nothing to choose from. If he had no extra food, he had to eat the rations,” Aliño told Cebu Daily News.

Before meeting his father, Aliño said he talked with Joavan who promised to follow rules.

“He was slowly made to understand the rules in jail,” the acting warden said.

He said Joavan is still adjusting and has to be oriented about regulations in the detention prison.

Aliño said there were orders by acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale not to show Joavan special treatment and at the same time to make sure he is not harmed by other inmates.

Joavan shares his cell with four inmates. The cell cell is inaccessible to other inmates but visible to the jail guards.

Magpale called CPDRC consultant Romeo Manansala to secure Joavan after reading news reports that the mayor’s adopted son was taunted and threatened by inmates.

“I just called him to make sure that no untoward incidents would happen. Also, there should be no special treatment but there should and extra security because he already escaped in the past,” Magpale said.

The acting governor said she would have done the same for any inmate.

She said she didn’t receive request of any kind from the mayor or Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu’s 1st District.

It was earlier reported that Fernandez and Gullas had called the Cebu provincial police director asking for Joavan to be transfered to the Talisay City Jail so that his family could visit him.

Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr. turned them down, noting that Joavan had escaped from the Talisay stockade in City Hall.

Manansala said he told Joavan not to create problems inside the jail. The CPDRC was placed on “maximum alert” when Joavan arrived on Wednesday. He faces charges of illegal possession of firearms, election gun ban violation and illegal possession of explosives before Judge Peras of Regional Trial Court Branch 10.

The court scheduled Joavan’s arraignment at 8:30 a.m today. With Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol