PNP allows 6-days-a-week visit for jailed Senators Revilla, Estrada

Senators Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla and Jose Estrada. INQUIRER and AFP FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines—Starting Tuesday, families and friends of jailed Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada may visit them six days in a week.

This despite the apparent violation of Revilla and Estrada’s visitors on the policies of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center over the weekend.

Adopting the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)’s visiting hours, the PNP has started allowing visits for both senators every day, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. except on Mondays.

The violation happened last Saturday, during the celebration of Estrada’s 25th wedding anniversary with wife Precy and several friends and families. Some reportedly overstayed in the detention facility until 2 a.m.

But in the guest list made public by the PNP, it indicated that no visitor stayed beyond 12 a.m.

Revilla had a total of 61 visitors, including his friend and actor Tirso Cruz III, who went out at 11:45 p.m.

But earlier Philippine Daily Inquirer report said a television cameraman staking out the Custodial
Center saw Cruz leave at around 2 a.m.

Estrada, meanwhile, had only 29 visitors, with the last visitor to leave at 11:40 p.m.

In total, 81 visitors went inside the PNP Custodial Center last Saturday despite the facility’s policy of maximum of 30 visitors for high-profile detainees.

Since the violation came out the media, the PNP barred the media from staking out the detention facility.

But Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP Public Information Office chief, clarified that they would still allow media coverage but only with their approval.

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