Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The strip-search of thousands of inmates in a Cebu provincial jail was warranted, but photos of the operation are a violation of their rights, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said on Monday.
Prisoners at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) woke up to a surprise inspection at around 1:00 a.m. on February 28. Jail authorities asked them to remove their clothes and sit on the floor of the jail’s open court while their cells were being searched.
Abella said in a press statement the safety of the inmates and search team was the priority, and justified the conduct of the inspection.
“On the concern of some groups that the action is inhumane and degrading, it is well worth considering the context… Deadly weapons such as knives have been discovered, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). The action, therefore, was justified,” Abella said.
Yogi Filemon Ruiz, the director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) who commanded the operation, told CNN Philippines last Friday the strip search was a “drastic action” they had to take to prevent violence during the inspection.
He added the 3,600 male inmates at the CPDRC outnumbered 289 raiding officers from PDEA, the Philippine National Police, and the Armed Forces.
Abella however said that the photos of the naked detainees was a violation of their right to privacy.
“The dissemination of the photograph is clearly questionable because it violates the right to privacy of the inmates,” the presidential spokesperson said.
The Commission on Human Rights is investigating the raid, saying strip searches “should be undertaken only if absolutely necessary,” based on the United Nations’ Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
“Also, the Commission is concerned because it may constitute a violation of R.A. 9745 or the Anti-Torture Law,” the commission said.
