Reyes breaks down
Photo shows former JPE chief of staff Gigi Reyes arriving at the Sandiganbayan after a warrant for her arrest was issued. BOY SANTOS
MANILA, Philippines - The thought of spending time in a crowded, dirty and poorly ventilated cell may have been too horrifying for Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, who wept unabashedly when told of the prospect of being confined in a Quezon City jail while on trial for plunder.
Reyes, former chief of staff of co-accused Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, need not endure such discomfort – at least for now.
The Sandiganbayan has allowed her temporary detention in a newly refurbished cell at the basement of the anti-graft court’s building in Quezon City.
The “gender-sensitive” detention facility will have Reyes as its first occupant. While the facility is not air-conditioned, Reyes’ cell shares a small window with an adjacent air-conditioned office, from where cold air may flow to keep her cool.
Officials said she can stay in her relatively comfortable cell until the court issues a commitment order for her transfer to another jail.
Senators Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. may also soon be moved to a state-of-the-art facility of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Taguig City.
BJMP spokesman Superintendent Carol Borinaga told The STAR the five-story building in Bicutan is almost like a US jail with computerized locks and close circuit television camera for systematic monitoring.
“The construction is now at 25 percent completion,” she said.
“The building for high-risk detainees will have two courtrooms, one administration office and a warden’s office.”
Borinaga said the building will have a total of 88 detention cells and each could accommodate three detainees.
“Each detention cell will have a triple-deck bed, three chairs, a table and three lockers,” she said.
Borinaga said hearings of cases of detainees will be held in courtrooms in the facility to address security concerns and for practical reasons.
Construction of the facility started about a month ago, not necessarily for the three senators and other accused in the pork barrel, she added.
Earlier, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II said the detention of the three senators in the Custodial Center in Camp Crame will be temporary.
“Respondents in the PDAF scam could be transferred to the facilities being constructed in Bicutan, Taguig,” he said.
Jails in Bicutan presently house the accused in the Maguindanao massacre and Abu Sayyaf commanders and members involved in serial bombings and kidnappings. – Michael Punongbayan, Cecille Suerte Felipe
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