The warden of the Quezon City Jail Annex in Taguig City on Thursday maintained that the suspects and the accused in the Maguindanao massacre case are not receiving special treatment while in detention.
Chief Inspector Glennford Valdepeñas made the assurance after Maguindanao Gov. Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu, whose wife and sisters were among the massacre victims, showed to the media photographs showing Andal Ampatuan Sr., a prime suspect in the case, being able to stay outside his detention cell.
Some of the photographs, which Mangudadatu claimed came from a reliable source, showed what he said were Ampatuan Sr.’s wife, masseuse, and cook. He said the pictures showed that at least 13 people were visiting Andal Sr. in a day, way beyond the allowable three visitors per day.
Maguindanao Gov. Toto Mangudadatu shows photos alleging massacre suspect Andal Ampatuan Sr. is getting special treatment in jail. Mark MerueñasAlso detained in connection with the gruesome crime are Ampatuan Sr.'s three sons: Andal Jr., Zaldy and Sajid.
Valdepenas refused to comment on the photos, saying he has yet to see them. However, he assured the public that the pictures and the supposed "special treatment" did not happen under his tenure.
Unfair
"It's really unfair na iparatang sa akin ang ganyang mga akusasyon ," he said.
Valdepeñas said he assumed the jail warden post last April 7 and challenged Mangudadatu to divulge the dates when the photographs were taken. Mangudadatu said the photos were taken this year, although he could not say the exact date.
During a break in Thursday's proceedings, tension gripped the jail facility as relatives of the massacre victims insisted on conducting a surprise visit to the detention cells of Andal Sr. and the other accused individuals to ensure that they were still behind bars and are not receiving special treatment.
Jail officials prevented everyone from going up to the upper floor of the four-storey jail facility, where the accused and the suspects are locked up. Jail authorities said they would only allow one lawyer each from the defense and the prosecution.
The relatives did not take the condition lightly and demanded that even the relatives be allowed to join the inspection. The relatives ended up not being able to push through with the inspection.
Valdepeñas later told reporters that he was only following the "rules and procedures for security reasons."
The warden said as much as possible complainants are not allowed to see the accused men to prevent possible confrontation between the two parties.
"May mga napukpok na dati. Iyon pala complainant kasi iyong bumisita," Valdepeñas said.
Just the same, the jail warden assured the families of the victims that the suspects are still inside their facility, saying no less than officials from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology made a personal inspection of the cells and found nothing wrong in them.
No special treatment
For his part, defense lawyer Gregorio Narvasa echoed Valdepeñas and said his client is not receiving any special treatment, adding that Andal Sr. in fact is still suffering from a swollen left foot.
Reacting to Mangudadatu's especial treatment claims, Narvasa said: "It's really hard if we base our accusations on say-so's."
He said he was not against a surprise inspection so long as "the rights of privacy of the accused [are] not violated."
Victims' kin seeks P16M in damages
During the continuation of the trial, the prosecution presented Ma. Cipriana Gatchalian to testify on the civil aspect of the multiple murder case.
Gatchalian, wife of slain journalist Santos Gatchalian, told the court that her family is demanding from the suspects a total of P16 million in damages.
The breakdown of the amount is as follows: P10 million in moral damages, P5 million in actual damages, and P112,000 in exemplary damages. She also said her husband would have earned at least P1 million if he were still living today. — KBK
