Cedric moved to Bagong Diwa; Deniece to follow

MANILA, Philippines - Businessman Cedric Lee and mixed martial arts practitioner Simeon Palma Raz Jr. – who are accused of illegally detaining television host Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro – arrived at the Taguig City Jail at Camp Bagong Diwa yesterday.

Lee’s co-accused Deniece Cornejo is expected to be brought to the same camp soon.

Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) National Capital Region spokesman Inspector Aris Villaester said the two will spend a week or more in separate isolation cells before they would be transferred to any of the cells located on the second, third and fourth floors of the city jail building.

“It would be for the warden to decide up to when they would be in isolation. This is a reception procedure the BJMP has for every new inmate. During this period, we will be assessing the inmate for any security threat to himself or to any other inmate when he gets transferred to a cell,” Villaester said.

The Taguig regional trial court hearing the illegal detention case denied the motions of Lee, Raz and Cornejo to stop their transfer to the city jail.

Otherwise, it would be against the law if the three are still allowed to be detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) or at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters at Camp Crame, the court said.

Lee and Raz were previously detained at the NBI while Cornejo is still under the custody of the Women and Children Protection Unit of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Camp Crame.

Lee and Raz argued that Navarro’s celebrity status and media exposure will make them vulnerable to inmates in a regular jail. They added “their safety and their lives will be greatly endangered” if they are not allowed to stay in their current detention facilities.

Cornejo, meanwhile, called Navarro “very famous” with “many loyal, passionate fans across the country, among them are the ardent inmates of regular city jails.”

Cornejo argued her life would be in danger if she were transferred to a regular detention facility.

The court, however, denied their arguments, saying the inmates are “actually very excited” to welcome the three accused.

The NBI turned over Lee and Raz to the Taguig City Jail while the CIDG said they would still have to wait to be furnished with the court’s decision on the transfer of Cornejo to the Taguig jail.

The three were among those accused of beating up Navarro inside a condominium unit rented by Cornejo last January.

Cornejo, on the other hand, accused Navarro of rape but the charges were dismissed. – Aie Balagtas See