Enrile may be held in hospital

RESERVED FOR ENRILE Dr. Raymond Santos shows the air-conditioned room with a single bed and bathroom where Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, who has been charged with plunder in the Sandiganbayan, will likely be detained at the PNP General Hospital inside the Camp Crame compound in Quezon City. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines–Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile is likely to be detained in a hospital, as the Aquino administration will not oppose any move by his lawyers once the Sandiganbayan orders his arrest on plunder and graft charges in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

The official, who was privy to a “meeting” between Enrile’s camp and a government representative, agreed to talk with the Inquirer on condition of anonymity.

A second government source said the arrangement for Enrile’s detention was part of “Manhunt Icarus,” an elaborate operational plan prepared by the Philippine National Police to hunt down all the 54 people facing plunder and graft charges over the pork barrel scam.

The source said the 90-year-old Enrile was represented by Sen. Gringo Honasan, his former military aide, in the meeting.

A ranking police official from Camp Crame, the PNP’s national headquarters, met with Honasan on behalf of the government, the source said.

No sweetheart deal

“It was not a sweetheart deal. The government did not ask anything from Senator Enrile in exchange for the arrangement. The senator also did not make any other requests,” the government official said.

“Malacañang just considered Senator Enrile’s health condition. He’s already 90 years old. He may not be able to survive the condition inside the jail,” the source added.

Asked if government prosecutors were instructed by Malacañang not to oppose Enrile’s lawyers if they asked the Sandiganbayan to allow the detention of the senator in a hospital, he said: “I’m not sure. But I think that possibility is just logical.”

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said, however, that he was not aware of any deal with Enrile’s camp.

“Our position is that we will abide by the rules and orders. We will follow the order from the court,” Lacierda said.

Cases vs Enrile pursued

During his visit to Tokyo on Tuesday, President Aquino expressed concern over Enrile’s physical condition, saying the Senate minority leader should be given “consideration” because of his advanced age.

During the meeting between Honasan and the PNP official, the source said the senator assured the PNP official that Enrile would respect the Sandiganbayan’s decision if it found probable cause to put him on trial and order his arrest.

The Office of the Ombudsman has brought plunder and graft charges against Enrile and Senators Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada in connection with the pork barrel scam allegedly orchestrated by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

Estrada and Revilla are now locked up at the PNP Custodial Center at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

The second Inquirer source said the Aquino administration was being careful not to be accused of injustice and cruelty if Enrile was ordered held in the PNP Custodial Center. The facility is reportedly infested with rats and cockroaches.

“Anyway, the arrangement did not mean the government would no longer pursue the charges against Enrile. The intention was just to avoid the possibility of the senator getting sick while in detention,” the source said.

“It was also meant to minimize the political drama that his arrest may cause,” he added.

Backup plan

Sought for comment, PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac said the PNP Health Service had prepared two rooms for Enrile at the PNP General Hospital at Camp Crame.

“This is just a backup plan. We are preparing for two possible eventualities,” Sindac said.

“One is for any medical emergency. The second is for the possible hospital confinement as ordered by the Sandiganbayan and assuming that the court will identify the PNP General Hospital as Senator Enrile’s place of detention,” he added.

On Wednesday, reporters were allowed to inspect the two rooms located on the ground floor of the police hospital.

The first hospital ward, known officially as Public Order Violator (POV) room, has no air conditioning and measures 10.25 square meters. It has a single bed and a toilet.

The second hospital room is about the same size, has air conditioning, a single bed and toilet and bath. It’s also near the nurses’ station.

Chief Supt. Alejandro Advincula, PNP Health Service director, said senior PNP officers confined at the police hospital were usually placed in the POV room.

Supt. Hansel Marantan, who sustained a bullet wound during the Atimonan, Quezon province, rubout in January last year, stayed in the same room while he was recovering.

Some of his colleagues in the Senate favor hospital detention for Enrile.

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said the Sandiganbayan should be “humane” toward Enrile.

If the circumstances call for it, Enrile should be detained in a hospital, Cayetano said, adding that the policy should apply to all detainees, particularly aged prisoners.

Not special treatment

Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Grace Poe agreed that Enrile should be detained in a hospital.

“I agree with P-Noy’s statement,” Trillanes said in a text message, using the President’s nickname.

“Senator Enrile, being a 90-year-old man, should be detained in a hospital or a facility where his medical needs can be attended to. This is not special treatment, but as a matter of policy, it is how the state should treat people his age,” Trillanes said.

Poe said elderly detainees should be allowed to be held in a government hospital approved by the court.

Keep him healthy for trial

“The goal should be for Senator Enrile to be kept healthy so that he can stand trial, defend himself and the courts can reach a conclusion on the cases,” she said in a text message.

If Enrile is allowed to be held in a hospital, Cayetano and Poe said such a policy should be applied equally to all detainees 60 years old and older.

“This should be the case for the detainees in the Manila city jail, Taguig City jail and New Bilibid Prison. They should also be given humane treatment. This should not be only for VIP detainees. There should be no VIP detainees,” Cayetano said.

Poe agreed: “This consideration should ideally be applied to others similarly situated in our prison system.”

Cayetano, however, made clear he would object to house arrest for Enrile because that would be “VIP treatment.”

“There should be no VIP treatment. Having them in an ordinary jail should be good enough for any detainee, including the senator-detainees,” he said.

Aquino compassion

Enrile’s colleague in the minority bloc, Vicente Sotto III, said he was glad to hear the President’s statement.

“It shows the compassion of the President,” he told reporters in a phone-patch interview. But he said the President’s comments should not influence the Sandiganbayan.

Cayetano agreed. “Of course, he is the Chief Executive, and everything he says has weight. But remember the Sandiganbayan is not supposed to be influenced by anyone. Even the Supreme Court cannot influence [it],” he said.

Senate President Franklin Drilon declined to comment, saying the antigraft court would ultimately resolve the question.

“The matter of where to detain a person is a matter addressed to the discretion of the Sandiganbayan,” Drilon told reporters.

“After the warrant is issued, when the court acquires jurisdiction over the person of the accused, the court has full discretion as to where to detain the accused,” he said.

Originally posted at 8:39 pm | Thursday, June 26, 2014

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