Transfer of 'Morong 38' to Bicutan big relief, says AFP

MANILA, Philippines - Military authorities are relieved that 38 of the “Morong 38” were moved to the Metro Manila District Jail in Taguig City on Saturday.

Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the transfer had lessened the military’s huge expenses in resources, manpower and logistics.

“We allotted food and other resources (for the suspects),” he said.

“We also spent for utilities like electric bills. We also assigned soldiers to guard them,” he added.

Burgos said the Morong Regional Trial Court Branch 78 granted on Saturday the military’s petition to transfer the 38 to the Metro Manila District Jail from Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal.

Five of the 43 suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, who have expressed interest to avail themselves of the government’s amnesty program, will remain under military custody, he said.

Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, Army 2nd Infantry Division civil-military relations chief, said they spent P5,000 daily for the meals alone of the suspects.

“We assigned around 30 guards for them every day,” he said. “I cannot quantify the electric and water bills but all of them used comfort rooms and electric fans.”

“Every time we move them, the convoy would include 10 vehicles with 100 personnel,” he added.

Security was tightened at the headquarters of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) following the transfer of the 38 suspected NPA rebels to the Metro Manila District Jail.

Metro Manila police commander Director Roberto Rosales said the additional security is to secure the 38 detainees and to prevent the reported plan of Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., principal suspect in the Maguindanao massacre, and his co-accused to escape.

“We are dealing with high-risk prisoners here so we deemed it necessary to double our roving patrol and tighten security in our gates to prevent any rescue attempt,” he said.

Rosales said two seven-man teams of armed policemen would patrol the NCRPO headquarters inside the 48-hectare Camp Bagong Diwa, where the Metro Manila District Jail is located.

Visitors entering and departing the camp would be thoroughly frisked to prevent the sneaking of firearms and other illegal materials, he added.

Rosales said rallies are banned in Camp Bagong Diwa.

“There were those who staged a rally outside the camp last Friday while the Morong 38 were being transferred to the MMDJ facility and we shooed them away,” he said.

Originally dubbed the Morong 43, the suspected NPA rebels were reportedly conducting a seminar on making explosives when police and military men nabbed them in a rest house in Morong, Rizal last Feb. 6. They claimed to be community health workers. – Alexis Romero, Non Alquitran