Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 21) — The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday said it will hold for now the transfer of the 11 inmate-witnesses in the remaining drug case of former Senator Leila de Lima to the national penitentiary “pending any legal remedies.”
The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 earlier ordered the transfer of the inmates from the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) Minimum Security Compound in Muntinlupa City.
“Dahil mahirap na rin na i-transfer sila pabalik sa NBP tapos kung may mahahanap kaming legal remedy, ibabalik na naman sa Sablayan. We would rather discuss, although we will discuss ASAP kung ano yung pinakamagandang gawin, and then we will inform the court of that decision and take the necessary steps to do that,” DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said.
[Translation: It would be difficult to transfer them to the NBP and then we would have to take them back to Sablayan once we find a legal remedy. We would rather discuss, although we will discuss ASAP what’s the best thing to do now, and then we will inform the court of that decision and take the necessary steps to do that.]
The DOJ insisted that it is the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) that holds jurisdiction over the custody and management of convicted inmates.
It pointed out these inmate-witnesses are not ordinary witnesses — they are convicted felons, mostly for heinous crimes.
The transfer of the inmates out of the NBP was pursuant to the jail decongestion effort of the BuCor, it added.
“Rewarding PDLs for their recantation will set a dangerous precedent,” the DOJ noted in a separate statement.
The Muntinlupa court ordered the transfer of the inmates following De Lima’s motion.
Clavano said the court might have “overreached” when it directed the DOJ and BuCor to transfer the witnesses from Sablayan back to the NBP.
