Manila jail warden faces insubordination raps

The warden of the Manila City Jail (MCJ) is in hot water for refusing to vacate his position following allegations that rats were mixed with food served to inmates.

Senior Superintendent Serafin Barreto, chief of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology –National Capital Region said Superintendent Renato Gacutan is facing insubordination charges for clinging to his post despite a relief order issued to him last Oct. 23 by the BJMP leadership.

“The responsibility of a warden is not limited to securing the jail facility but also to ensure the welfare of the inmates. Since food given to inmates are cooked by way of messing by administration, the liability of Gacutan attaches to the incident,” said Barreto in a statement sent to The STAR. “He (Gacutan) is the one who refuses to follow a lawful order.”

Barreto said Gacutan’s relief is necessary for the conduct of a thorough and impartial investigation as to why rats were cooked together with viands served to inmates.

He noted that Gacutan even prevented the designated officer-in-charge Senior Superintendent Emilio Culang from assuming his duties and responsibilities as warden of MCJ.

Gacutan claimed his relief is illegal because of the ongoing election ban.

But Barreto said Gacutan’s statement was misleading and noted that the relief has a prior clearance from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) since there is an ongoing ban on movement of personnel in the government.

Gacutan also alleged that it has been the practice of jail wardens to give at least P200 to BJMP officials prior to the release of maintenance and operating expense and prisoners’ subsistence allowance and that his refusal to do so angered the officials, thereby causing his relief.

But BJMP director Armando Llamasares said the allegation is untrue.

‘“What is being required to be submitted by jail wardens are liquidation reports from previous cash advances allocated to them prior to the release of funds, in compliance with the Commission on Audit (COA) that all cash advances should be fully liquidated and that all funds are accounted for,” he said.

“Damaging allegations that are unfounded and baseless should not be made a substitute to one’s shortcomings in the performance of his duty,” Llamasares said.

Llamasares said he was saddened by the fact that some members of the corps of officers does not give credence anymore to BJMP issuances and orders simply because they have with them a department order, which to their interpretation, supersedes an order from the bureau.   – Cecille Suerte Felipe