MANILA, Philippines–The head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center has been sacked for allowing visitors of Senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. beyond the visiting hours over the weekend, a police official announced on Thursday.
Superintendent Mario Malana was administratively relieved on Wednesday after the PNP Headquarters Support Service (HSS) found that he failed to strictly enforce the visitation policies for the jailed lawmakers.
“The (HSS), relative to the incident over the weekend, has found probable cause after conducting pre-charge investigation on the person of Supt. Mario Malana,” Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP Public Information Office chief, said in a press briefing.
Sindac said Malana will be charged administratively for less grave neglect of duty.
He was also relieved for failing to “comply with specific legal instructions to inform higher or senior, to inform the higher headquarters of any ongoing or give updates on his unit.”
The sacked official will be replaced by Superintendent Peter Limbaoan.
If Malana would be found guilty of the charge, he would serve an unpaid suspension that can last from 30 to 59 days.
On Monday, Malana was given 48 hours to submit an official explanation as to why he should not be relieved from his post.
But Sindac said Malana “was not able to come up with a good reason or cause” for the violation that happened last Saturday.
Relatives and friends of Estrada and Revilla apparently overstayed at their detention facility in Camp Crame on Saturday, with some reportedly leaving beyond 2 a.m. on Sunday.
This despite the PNP’s policy allowing visits for its detainees only from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The violation also prompted Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II to order the PNP to adopt the visitation policies of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
The move allowed visits for Revilla and Estrada to become more frequent, with visiting days from Tuesday to Sunday.
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