Erap pities Gigi Reyes' 'very inhuman' Sandiganbayan detention

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada on Tuesday visited Atty. Jessica "Gigi" Reyes who remains detained at the Sandiganbayan for her alleged involvement in the pork barrel fund scam.

Estrada, the incumbent Manila mayor, visited Reyes in her temporary detention cell in the Sandiganbayan's basement after attending today the bail hearing of his son, Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

Lamenting the lawyer's condition, Estrada said Reyes has no privacy in her detention cell, which he described as unfit for a woman.

"It's inhuman for a woman to be incarcerated there in that place. Kahit na ako lalaki ako mahihirapan ako doon. And she's not convicted yet. Masyado namang grabe yung ginagawa," Estrada said in a phone-patch interview on ANC.

"The way she's being treated there is very inhuman," he added.

Estrada said Reyes broke down during his visit.

Reyes, the former chief of staff of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, surrendered to the Sandiganbayan on Friday after the court's Third Division ordered her arrest.

The Sandiganbayan has allowed her temporary detention in the newly refurbished cell at the basement of the court's building in Quezon City.

According to a STAR report, the "gender-sensitive" detention facility will have Reyes as its first occupant. It is not air-conditioned, but it has a small window with an adjacent air-conditioned office, from where cold air may flow to keep her cool.

Officials said Reyes can stay in her cell until the Sandiganbayan issues a commitment order for her transfer to another jail.

On Monday, Reyes filed an urgent motion asking the Sandiganbayan to order her detention in the Custodial Center at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

In the motion, Reyes asked not to be sent to the overcrowded Quezon City Jail's Female Dormitory.

Reyes, Enrile and Estrada were ordered arrested after being accused of amassing kickbacks from the pork barrel funds diverted to the bogus foundations of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

Enrile and Reyes surrendered and were detained on the same day. But the former joined Estrada and Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. in the PNP Custodial Center. -Louis Bacani