Bicutan jail warden, guards sacked for alleged favoritism toward Ampatuan
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) The warden of the high-security jail in Camp Bagong Diwa was relieved of his post Friday by Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo over allegations of VIP treatment for moneyed inmates, including members of the Ampatuan clan accused of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre.
All the other jail officers, numbering about 20, in the Quezon City jail annex located at the Taguig City camp were also suspended by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, pending a probe into accusations they bestowed privileges on certain influential prisoners, including Andal Ampatuan Sr.
Robredo ordered the relief of warden J/Chief Inspector Glennford Valdepeñas effective Friday pending an investigation.
“Heads will roll,” Robredo said. “If allegations are true, immediate disciplinary action will be imposed [including the] replacement of personnel at Bicutan.”
“It’s important not only to have fairness [in our treatment of prisoners], but also the perception of fairness,” Robredo told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He added that he would order more surprise inspections of jail facilities to ensure no special treatment for wealthy or influential inmates.
BJMP director Rosendo Dial said all the other Bicutan jailers were also administratively relieved and reassigned to other posts for the duration of the investigation. Replacements were called in from nearby jail facilities, including the Metro Manila District Jail in the same city.
In the meantime, Senior Inspector Edgar Camus has been assigned to replace Valdepeñas, Dial said.
Robredo said Valdepeñas’ relief was akin to preventive suspension so he could not influence the probe. But he said the relieved warden would still be given the chance to explain, noting that he assumed office only on April 7.
Robredo also directed Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno to look into the allegations of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu of special treatment for Ampatuan, the patriarch of the influential Mindanao clan allegedly behind the massacre of 57 persons, including more than 30 journalists.
The interior secretary said the investigation would involve verifying pictures and video presented by Mangudadatu to media, as well as the dates when these were taken, to determine if the Ampatauans had been given privileges beyond what is allowed, and who were the jail personnel responsible.
Valdepeñas, he noted, was newly assigned to Bicutan and might not have been the one in charge at the time the pictures were taken.
Robredo added he planned to meet with Mangudadatu and invite lawyer Harry Roque on Monday and ask them to present whatever evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the jailers they may have.
Valdepeñas’ relief followed the publication of photos presented by Mangudadatu on Thursday purportedly showing Ampatuan Sr. moving freely around the camp outside of his cell.
Earlier in the week, jail officials rebuffed prosecutors and members of the media who wanted to inspect the cells of the Ampatuans.
“If you have the money, there is no law,” Mangudadatu, who lost his wife, sister and other relatives in the massacre, complained to reporters on Thursday.
But Dial insisted there was no favoritism for the Ampatuans or other influential inmates, and that the policy of the BJMP was geared toward protecting the welfare of all prisoners.
He said none of the inmates detained at the BJMP facilities had been convicted, and must still be accorded the presumption of innocence, which would explain his agency’s mandate to take care of them in detention.
Dial said BJMP inmates should be supplied their basic needs such as food and shelter, and allowed to observe their religious beliefs and even to have some form of entertainment, such as watching TV. There are also existing and future plans for livelihood programs for the inmates.
“There are people who say we’re on the side of the inmates, but they don’t realize that that’s our mandate at the BJMP,” he said.
Dial said there were about 400 BJMP facilities around the country but fewer than 10,000 jail personnel.
Robredo said he has confidence in Dial’s stewardship of the agency, describing the official as a “straight” fellow.
