Gwen seeks inquiry into CPDRC jail raid

garcia

REP. Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu’s third district is seeking a congressional inquiry on the stripping naked of inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) during a surprise inspection by law enforcers last Feb. 28.

In a privilege speech at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, the legislator turned the blame on Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III who ordered the raid.

“The CPDRC under Governor Davide has become fodder for bad press; from epic jail to epic fail. I grieve with my fellow Cebuanos for its glory is but a distant memory. As the hashtags that went viral say of the CPDRC inmates: ‘Gipasayaw sa una, gihubuan karon.’ (They were made to dance before but now were stripped off of their clothes),” she said.

Garcia, who served as Cebu governor from 2004 to 2013, believed the illegal drug trade inside the CPDRC continues to flourish as shown by the contraband seized by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) during the surprise inspection.

“One wonders what took Governor Davide so long to act. And now that he has, by merely ordering another raid, he has acted so carelessly as to court not only controversy but also possible prosecution,” she added.

Meanwhile, policemen in Cebu will undergo a seminar on human rights.

Arvin Odron, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) 7 regional director, said police officials requested them to brief operatives on human rights.

“Before the operatives will be deployed in the revitalized Oplan Tokhang, they want to be reloaded. They want to undergo trainings on human rights if only to emphasize respect for the dignity of human beings,” Odron told reporters.