Ruiz: Removal of inmates’ clothes was my decision

RUIZ

CEBU CITY–The director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) has cleared Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III on accusations that the latter ordered the stripping naked of inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) in a surprise inspection last Feb. 28.

PDEA-7 Director Yogi Ruiz said it was him, not Davide, who instructed the inmates to remove their clothes to ensure the security of the raiding team.

“Yes it was Governor Davide who ordered the surprise inspection. But it was my decision to let the inmates remove their clothes. The blame should be on me; not on the governor or President Duterte,” he said.

Ruiz, however, maintained that they did not violate the rights of the inmates as he stressed that his agency was willing to be investigated by any agency.

“We’re always prepared. I’m just concerned why it has to come to this point. I believed there’s a bigger agenda behind all these malicious insinuations against us,” he said.

Asked if it has something to do with politics, Ruiz said “unsa pa man diay (What else is the reason)?”

Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu’s third district on Wednesday said she will ask the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry on the PDEA-7 operation inside the CPDRC.

In a privilege speech she delivered at the House of Representatives, the legislator turned the blame to Governor Davide whom she said has failed in cleaning the provincial jail from illegal drugs and for ensuring the rights of the inmates.

The congresswoman said she believed the illegal drug trade inside the CPDRC continues to flourish as shown by the contraband seized by agents of the PDEA during the surprise inspection.

Garcia served as Cebu governor from 2004 to 2013. Her two brothers – Pablo John and Winston – faced Davide in the 2013 and 2016 gubernatorial race and lost.