Remulla to conduct ‘personal, surprise visits’ to QC Jail

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Friday that he would be conducting personal inspections at the New Quezon City Jail – Male Dormitory in Payatas to probe claims concerning a supposed “special treatment” granted to public officials detained at the facility.

He explained that the initiative was intended to remove doubts on what was truly happening inside the prison, particularly as varying information has been made public in recent days.

“To remove any doubt about how things are going, we will do surprise visits to the jail. We will be starting to do that. To visit Payatas. Once in a while, at any given hour, whether it be morning or noon...just to check on everything and make sure that all the rules are being followed,” Remulla said.

The Ombudsman emphasized that no detainees—regardless of their status—should be given special treatment by officials from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), warning of administrative action towards erring officers.

In a hearing conducted by the Sandiganbayan Third Division on Thursday, 5 November, Jail Superintendent Maria Lourdes Pacion disclosed some deficiencies within their facility, particularly when it comes to insufficient staff and faulty equipment.

Among all the findings from the hearing, Remulla said that a matter that did anger him was Pacion’s supposed approval for former House Speaker Martin Romualdez to be taken care of by his “personal staff” while in detention.

He pointed out that the issue was a security risk, pointing out the likelihood that the staff member was being allowed to move in and out of the facility.

At this point, however, Remulla said that they would first have to validate Pacion’s claim before pursuing any other actions.

“We will find out. I have to validate it. We will have to validate it, it’s prohibited and it’s not allowed,” he stated.

“That’s favoring somebody,” the Ombudsman answered when asked to describe how he viewed the setup with Romualdez’s staff.

Remulla mentioned that it was the first time that he had heard of such an instance, admitting that he was “blindsided” by the information.

He said that he had first read about the issue through a post of veteran columnist Ramon Tulfo, who would notably withdraw his allegations a day after.

“I was alarmed about it. We’re very sensitive to these things, we won’t let it pass,” he stated.

In the event that the claims were substantiated through their visits, Remulla vowed to pursue administrative cases against individuals who were leading the facility.

The Ombudsman explained that any alleged cooperation on the part of BJMP officials with the requests of detainees was not acceptable.

“I will not hesitate. If we find something, we will dismiss her from the service,” he said. “All those who will be proven to have committed infractions and not follow their own rules.”