Detainee brought back to jail with baby one day after giving birth

Authorities brought back a detainee and her newborn child to the Manila City Jail one day after she gave birth, a group claimed and a jail official confirmed Friday.

Manila City Jail Warden Ignacia Monteron confirmed that Reina Mae Nasino, who gave birth on Wednesday, and her child were returned to the jail on 5:28 p.m. Thursday after they were officially discharged by a doctor.

On the other hand, Kapatid, a group of families and friends of political prisoners, said they received information that Nasino and her baby were "secreted out" of the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital on Thursday night.

"We condemn the surreptitious way that prison authorities secreted out Reina Mae and her baby although the Fabella hospital allowed both to stay in the hospital at least for a week to ensure continued medical attention and care for an underweight newborn," Kapatid said in a statement.

The group said "no baby should be put inside prison especially at this time of the pandemic."

Monteron said Nasino and her baby are being cared for in a room separate from the female dormitory and is intended for detainees that need to be closely monitored by nurses.

The jail official also said the female dormitory is COVID-19-free.

Nasino, through her lawyers, has asked the Manila court handling charges against her to allow her to stay at the hospital or at a jail nursery with her baby until the child is 12 months old. Kapatid said this motion is pending.

The 23-year-old is one of the detainees urging the Supreme Court to order their provisional release, fearing their age, pre-existing illnesses, and in her case, pregnancy, compounded by poor jail conditions make them vulnerable to COVID-19.

Arrested at Bayan's office in Tondo last November, she faces charges for illegal possession of firearms with two other activists. —LDF, GMA News