Separate detention for Enrile and Gigi Reyes

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes (at right). COMPOSITE: BULLIT MARQUEZ/AP AND RAFFY LERMA

MANILA, Philippines–Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and his former chief of staff, Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, will not be together in Camp Crame after all.

Reyes was transferred Wednesday night from the Sandiganbayan’s basement detention cell in Quezon City to the Bicutan Jail in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City after the antigraft court’s Third Division denied for lack of merit her request to be detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame.

The 90-year-old Enrile, meanwhile, was allowed to remain at PNP General Hospital, also in Camp Crame, until the Sandiganbayan determines whether he should be detained in the hospital.

The two have been detained since July 3 when they voluntarily surrendered after the court issued warrants for plunder charges over their arrest on the alleged siphoning of P10 billion from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) into ghost projects and kickbacks.

Enrile turned himself in at the PNP Custodial Center, while Reyes surrendered to the Sandiganbayan.

The senator was immediately taken to PNP General Hospital when his blood pressure shot up. He has stayed in the hospital since then.

More checkups

The court ordered the Philippine General Hospital to conduct a medical checkup on Enrile and report “whether there is an imperative need for his continued confinement.”

The court authorized the PNP hospital administrator to decide whether Enrile needed to be temporarily brought to another hospital in case of an emergency, provided he is returned to Camp Crame.

The separate orders were announced shortly after 5 p.m., past the close of office hours on Wednesday. The orders were signed by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, and Associate Justices Alex Quiroz and Samuel Martires.

The prosecution had objected to Enrile’s hospital detention, but not his confinement at the PNP Custodial Center.

In Reyes’ case, however, prosecutors objected to her detention at the PNP Custodial Center and asked the court to transfer her to the crowded Quezon City Jail.

Reyes had been detained at the Sandiganbayan facility while the court considered whether to transfer her to the Quezon City jail.

JV sees Enrile, not Jinggoy

Sen. JV Ejercito on Wednesday visited Enrile at Camp Crame. He later told reporters he spent around 45 minutes with the Senate minority leader, who was then with his son, former Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile, and Cagayan Gov. Alvaro Antonio, and talked about “politics in general.”

“I said, ‘Manong, last year there were six of us. Now with you and Senator Jinggoy detained, there are only four of us in the minority, and two have pending cases. But Manong, I want to be more active,’” Ejercito said.

He also asked Enrile’s advice about the minority members drafting a counterstatement to President Aquino’s upcoming State of the Nation Address.

“He said we should just concentrate on performance, economic numbers, so the true state of the country will be known,” Ejercito recalled.

He said Enrile was also concerned about the West Philippine Sea dispute with China and the development of his home province of Cagayan.

‘Very touching’

The younger Enrile was scheduled Wednesday night to leave for the United States and Europe on a two-month trip.

“They embraced. It was very touching, and of course, sad… I remember the time when I was also visiting [my father] former President Erap [when he was in jail]. When you have to leave behind your father, it’s painful,” Ejercito said.

He admitted that he was waiting for “the right time, when the situation has cooled down” to visit his half-brother Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who, along with Sen. Bong Revilla, is also detained at Camp Crame.

“It’s not a secret that even before Jinggoy surrendered, we already had misunderstandings and disagreements,” Ejercito said.