Manila jail warden quits

Manila City Jail warden J/Supt. Lyndon Torres speaks to reporters during a news conference at the MCJ Office, Sta. Cruz, Manila on Friday, regarding the noise barrage Thursday afternoon by the inmates and sought a dialogue with the former president and incoming mayor, as they demanded the removal of their jail warden. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines—Even before his superiors could decide on his case, the Manila City Jail warden decided to step down Friday to pave the way for an investigation into charges levelled against him by inmates who staged a noise barrage on Thursday.

“I have my honor and a sense of propriety,” Superintendent Lyndon Torres said in Tagalog at a press conference in his office inside the jail compound. “I don’t want my name sullied because of their accusations. Even my family has been affected, so I have decided to step down.”

Torres said that he had met with inmate leaders not associated with any jail gangs and bade them goodbye.

He was replaced by Superintendent Noel Montalvo.

The former jail warden said he chose to “go on leave’’ so he would not be accused of impeding any investigation of the complaints against him.

During their noise demonstration on Thursday the prisoners accused Torres of cruelty, of shortening visitation hours, providing them bad food including raw rice and badly prepared viands,  prohibiting their relatives from using opaque plastic containers whenever they brought food for them.

He added that it was up to his superiors to reassign him to the city jail “if they will find out that the allegations were not true.”

He said he had gone to the office of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology head Chief Supt. Diony Mamaril to personally ask his permission to go on leave.

Montalvo said Torres will be temporarily assigned to the National Capital Regional Office of BJMP after a vacation.