Cebu jail warden relieved, but not over making stripping inmates naked  

March 4, 2017

The jail warden of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center was relieved from his post following a raid at the facility last Tuesday which uncovered illegal drugs and other illegal items.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, in a statement posted on the provincial government's website, said he relieved jail warden Gil Macato last Wednesday.

But provincial government information officer Jason Monteclaro said in a phone interview, "the photos of the naked prisoners were not the reason for his relief."

Nineteen medium-sized packets of suspected shabu, P92,000 in cash, 76 cellphones, laptops, bladed weapons and assorted drug items were found in the search that took place at 2 am on February 28.

Macato was replaced by Cebu provincial civil security unit chief Bobby Legaspi.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has ordered an investigation into the incident at the Cebu provincial jail last Tuesday where prisoners were made to strip naked during a search operation.

Photos showing hundreds of prisoners at the jail went viral on social media and triggered accusations of more rights abuses in President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

Amnesty International Philippines said the incident amounts to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners.

Monteclaro said stripping the inmates naked had to be done to protect the search team which was outnumbered by the prisoners. The team was composed of about 280 personnel from PDEA, police and military as against around 3,600 inmates. DMS