CHR starts probe on controversial raid in Cebu jail facility

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) started on Friday its investigation on the controversial drug raid inside a Cebu jail facility where inmates were ordered to strip naked.

CHR spokesperson Jacqueline De Guia said in a text message that the CHR Central Visayas is on top of the investigation primarily aimed at coming up with measures on how to prevent the incident from happening again.

De Guia said the CHR investigation team will engage the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to find out more information about the operation at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center on the wee hours of Tuesday.

The CHR investigators will also interview inmates to get their side of the story.

Pictures of the naked inmates have since gone viral and have drawn criticisms from human rights groups such as Amnesty International, which said the incident "clearly amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners."

"Ang importante makipagtulungan tayo sa PDEA kung paano maiiwasan ito in the future. Ano nga ba ang mga revision na pwede gawin dun sa alituntunin para naman pag isinasagawa ang ganitong operasyon na kinakailangan nga ay hindi naman nakakasagabal sa dignidad na meron ang mga tao o mga bilanggo," De Guia said in an interview on GMA News' "News To Go."

The CHR official reminded authorities that under the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, the "intrusive searches, including strip and body cavity searches, should be undertaken only if absolutely necessary."

Intrusive searches shall also be conducted in private and by trained staff of the same sex as the prisoner, according to the UN guidelines.

The CHR also expressed concern that the stripping the inmates naked may constitute a violation of Republic Act 9475 or the Anti-Torture Law.

"Nakasaad dito na stripping persons naked amount to psychological torture dahil nade-demean 'yung dignity na meron ang mga bilanggo at kung hindi naman masyadong severe ang impact sa kanilang psyche ah pwede ito mag amount to other cruel, inhumane, degrading treatment or punishment," De Guia said.

But the PDEA-Region 7 said stripping the prisoners naked was done for "mutual safety."

Sachets of shabu, cellphones, two DVD recorders, 60 deadly weapons and cash worth P91,000 in cash were among the items found during the dawn raid.

The cash was turned over to the governor's office while the cellphones and illegal drugs will be handed to forensic experts and crime laboratory, respectively.

Disciplinary sanctions and cases will be filed against the prisoners who had contraband items. —KBK, GMA News