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Gamboa says barring visitors at Custodial Center a standard policy
By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA News Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa on Friday said they have permitted detained Senator Leila de Lima to make phone calls even if they do not allow her to have visitors at the Custodial Center.
At a virtual press briefing, Gamboa underscored that the police organization is following the standard regulation in barring visitors, noting that it is also the practice of the Bureau of Corrections and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
"Una, sinagot na natin 'yung sulat but basically, ina-allow naman natin 'yung kaniyang correspondence and we also allow her to make the phone calls," Gamboa said.
"Standard naman ang ginagawa nating polisiya kagaya ng Bureau of Corrections at Bureau of Jail Management and Penology," he added.
According to Gamboa, PNP officials would still discuss whether they would ease up visiting protocols amid the general community quarantine in the National Capital Region.
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Gamboa's remark came after opposition senators Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, and Francis Pangilinan bared that De Lima has been restricted from receiving visitors and having physical meetings with anyone since April 25.
They said this was basically an "incommunicado detention or solitary confinement," which is prohibited under the Article III, Section 12(2) of the 1987 Constitution, stating that “[s]ecret detention places, solitary, incommunicado, or other similar forms of detention are prohibited."
The senators have asked Gamboa for necessary remedial action on the matter.
PNP spokesman Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac earlier confirmed that visits for De Lima had been "temporarily restricted".
"Visits are temporarily restricted under ECQ/MECQ as part of biosafety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 inside PNP camps and police stations," Banac said.—AOL, GMA News