MANILA, Philippines - “Education development” (ED) sessions await pork barrel scam accused Jessica “Gigi” Reyes and Janet Lim-Napoles once they are immersed with certain detainees at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) female dormitory in Taguig, a leftist leader told The STAR yesterday.
“The political detainees will enlighten Napoles and Reyes on their political struggle,” the leftist leader, who asked not to be named, said.
The female dormitory has 138 inmates including suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA).
The leftist leader declined to give details on the ED, but a former NPA commander who surrendered to the government said it is usually similar to a “people’s trial” of suspected spies in the rebel movement.
If the evidence against the spies is overwhelming, they would be hogtied and beaten to death.
On the other hand, if the evidence is weak, the spies would be detained and tortured to force them to reveal information on their dealings with the military.
The information would then be used as evidence against the spies to merit their execution.
A human rights group earlier said detainees at the BJMP female dormitory are waiting to hear the account of Reyes on the alleged misuse of the congressional pork barrel of lawmakers.
But Cristina Guevarra, secretary-general of Hustisya, said the alleged special treatment being accorded to Reyes has prevented political detainees from meeting her.
Legal action prepared
Meanwhile, ombudsman prosecutors are preparing for appropriate legal action if the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the BJMP will continue to defy the Sandiganbayan’s order to transfer Napoles to Camp Bagong Diwa.
“We will be taking the appropriate actions necessary in response to the non-transfer of accused Napoles,” acting director Rawnsle Lopez of the anti-graft agency’s media relations bureau told The STAR yesterday.
She, however, did not elaborate on what legal moves will be taken considering the PNP and the BJMP’s decision to defer the transfer because of a prior commitment order issued by the Makati City regional trial court (RTC) directing Napoles’ detention at Fort Sto. Domingo, Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
But a number of STAR sources from the Office of the Ombudsman who do not want to be quoted for lack of authority to speak on the matter offered various options that can be taken including the possibility of asking the Sandiganbayan to assert its superiority as a higher court.
The Makati City RTC was first to obtain jurisdiction over the person of Napoles because of a serious illegal detention case it is handling but the Sandiganbayan now has three of its divisions handling three plunder cases and multiple graft charges.
On Friday, the anti-graft court’s Third Division chaired by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang herself ordered the businesswoman to be moved to Camp Bagong Diwa.
“The PNP Special Action Force Training School in Fort Sto. Domingo, Sta. Rosa, Laguna is not under the jurisdiction of the BJMP, hence it is not a jail,” Tang and Associate Justices Samuel Martires and Alex Quiroz stressed in their decision.
One STAR source said the Sandiganbayan’s order should prevail over a lower court since the latter is inferior and other is superior.
Another opined that since Napoles filed a motion for reconsideration, the transfer can actually be deferred until after the appeal is resolved.
If the transfer pushes through, Na- poles may be bunked together with Reyes at Camp Bagong Diwa.
BJMP guards have placed Reyes in isolation ostensibly to prevent her from contaminating others with radiation from her recent medical tests. It is not clear how long the radiation-
related isolation will last. Both Reyes and Napoles wept at the
prospect of detention at the BJMP jail. - With Michael Punongbayan