Detainees sue jail warden

Criminal and administrative complaints were filed Thursday against the jail warden of Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City for reportedly barring visitors from seeing close to 40 detainees who staged a hunger strike as “political prisoners” during the recent visit of Pope Francis.

Charges for violation of Republic Act No. 7438, which defines the rights of detained persons, were filed against Senior Insp. Michelle Ng Bonto in the Office of the Ombudsman, according to human rights lawyer Edre Olalia.

Bonto was sued also for alleged gross misconduct, grave abuse of authority, gross oppression and conduct unbecoming of a public officer, said Olalia, secretary general of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) , which represents the 37 detainees who went on hunger strike from Jan. 15 to 19.

The detainees were hoping to draw the Pope’s attention to their cases. Twenty-one of them acted complainants in the charges against the warden, an official under the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

According to complaints, Bonto refused entry to several individuals who tried to visit the detainees, including Dr. Julie Caguiat; Bernard Zamora, paralegal officer of the human rights group Karapatan; lawyer Julian Oliva Jr. of the NUPL; Bagong Alyansang Makabayan chair Carol Araullo; and former Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza.

Olalia alleged that Bonto committed “supercilious and heartless” acts “at a time or even while the good Pope was in town showering one and all—the pious and the temporarily pious alike—with mercy and compassion.”

BJMP officials earlier explained that since the visitors claimed to be on a “medical mission,” they must first obtain clearance from higher officials since the jail already had its own doctors to look after the inmates.

The NUPL, however, maintained that the detainees have a right to be seen by doctors and lawyers of their choice.