Jinggoy, Bong granted longer visiting hours on New Year

MANILA, Philippines - The warden at Camp Crame has allowed Sens. Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. and other detainees to welcome the New Year with their families inside their detention cells.

Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile has not asked for an extension of visiting hours in his place of detention in the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital.

Chief Superintendent Alberto Supapo, Headquarters Support Service (HSS) director, approved the extended visiting hours for Estrada and Revilla for humanitarian reasons and in observance of the Yuletide season.

“The detainees’ visiting hours are extended from the regular visiting hours to 1 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2015 to allow detainees to spend New Year’s Eve with their families,” he said.

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor said HSS issued the extension based on the request of Richard Cambe, a lawyer representing the detainees.

“All detainees occupying the building were given extension, not only the senators,” he said.

“Only members of the immediate family are allowed, which include spouse, fiancee, child, brother or sister, grandparents, grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew and niece. And depending on the capacity of the custodial center.”

Cambe initially requested that visiting hours be extended until 2 a.m. but only until 1 a.m. was approved.

Regular visiting hours at the PNP Custodial Center is 1 to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays to Fridays; and 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Enrile, through director and scriptwriter Bibeth Orteza, had requested for a showing of the movie “Hari ng Tondo” at the PNP General Hospital.

The PNP had issued guidelines on the visiting hours to prevent any violation of the rules and regulations of the custodial center.

Some custodial center officials were relieved after Revilla ignored visiting hours shortly after he turned himself in middle of this year.