The Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) has enforced a stricter policy on conjugal visits following an incident where a woman faked a marriage certificate to be able to avail of conjugal privileges with a high profile inmate. (CDN FILE PHOTO)
A marriage certificate may no longer be required, at all times, before a spouse could avail of conjugal visits at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) as the policy has been put under scrutiny in light of a recent incident.
The incident involved a woman who allegedly presented a fake certificate to avail of her conjugal privileges with a high-profile inmate.
Concerns were raised about common-law spouses and live-in partners who could not present a marriage certificate, as required in a directive posted at the entrance of the CPDRC dated November 15, 2016 and signed by acting jail warden Dr. Gil Macato.
Governor Hilario Davide III said that he had yet to talk with Macato about the requirement but pointed out that special considerations could be made for common-law spouses and live-in partners to just present a barangay certificate of their relationship with an inmate.
Davide explained that he is not aware of Macato’s directive about the requirement of a marriage certificate posted at the entrance of CPDRC but said that there was wisdom behind it, especially since Macato has firsthand knowledge of the situation in the facility.
“Maniguro lang gyud ta gyud kay, you know, naa man gud uban sauna, bisan kinsa lang manulod diha, mga prostitute, tabang-tabangan, ipasa-pasa anang mga priso. So we have to be very strict anang conjugal visit. Di ma-monitor dayon ba that’s why we require kining mga inmates who are married or who are in a live-in relationship, to produce a marriage contract. Kung live-in partners, kanang clearance.”
(We just have to make sure because there were incidents in the past that anyone could get inside the jail facility, including prostitutes who would be passed on from inmate to inmate. We have to be very strict when it comes to conjugal visits. It couldn’t be monitored closely that’s why we require married inmates or those who are in a live-in relationship to produce either a marriage certificate or clearance.)
According to Davide, the issue of smuggling prostitutes inside the facility has been a recurring issue from the past.