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Detained activist mom visits Baby River’s wake under heavy guard

Jailed activist Reina Mae Nasino visited her dead three-month-old baby under heavy guard Wednesday afternoon, starting three of the six hours she was given to see her firstborn for the last time.

More than 20 uniformed personnel, a mix of jail staff and Manila police, escorted the 23-year-old detainee to the funeral home in Pandacan where her baby River Emmannuelle's remains lie, her lawyers and supporters said.

"Masakit sa akin. Sabik akong makita 'yung anak ko pero hindi sa ganyang kalagayan," Nasino told reporters.

Manila City Jail warden Maria Ignacia Monteron said only five of the guards were  from the city jail's female dormitory and that police forces joined in following her request for augmentation.

Nasino was photographed at the funeral home with handcuffs on — Monteron said this was standard procedure — but was eventually uncuffed. She wore a personal protective equipment suit.

Before Nasino was uncuffed, Fides Lim of the group Kapatid confronted the jail guards, reportedly saying: "Remove the handcuffs. Shame on you. She cannot even rise from her chair with soldiers clinging to her."

She has until 4 p.m. Wednesday before her schedule back to jail. She will be escorted out of the facility again on Friday, from 1 to 4 p.m., for River's burial.

A Manila trial court judge originally allowed Nasino a three-day furlough but shortened it to six hours spread out across two days after Monteron said the jail lacks the personnel needed to accompany Nasino, who is only one of the more than 600 female detainees at the facility.

Monteron had said they have only 12 personnel doing "outside" work like turning over released detainees to their barangays and escorting inmates who need to go to the hospital.

"Sana maintindihan din nila ang kalagayan namin, hindi lang security kundi yung health risk din sa panahon ngayon," the jail official told GMA News Online.

Nasino is in jail on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives. She calls the allegations fabricated. She spent her pregnancy at the city jail's female dormitory and gave birth to River at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital on July 1.

Mother and daughter were returned to jail the following day. Weeks later, despite Nasino's motion to be with her child for the next 12 months, a judge  ordered them to be separated, saying the jail has no facility for newborn babies.

River was hospitalized in late September after showing COVID-19 symptoms but later tested negative. She succumbed to pneumonia last Friday. — RSJ, GMA News