CEBU, Philippines - Amid the controversies hounding the management of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, particularly issues on the proliferation of drugs, Governor Hilario Davide III has stressed that his confidence in the people looking over the facility remains.
“I reiterated to them my trust and confidence,” said Davide when asked in the course of his discussion with CPDRC consultant Marco Toral and the facility’s jail warden, Romeo Manansala, who met with him yesterday at the Capitol.
Davide said that in general, he was given updates on the drug issues at the CPDRC and the entire situation in the facility. The anonymous letter against Toral and Manansala was the focus of the discussion in the meeting.
“They felt it was unfair, ingon sila nga naa gyud galagot gyud siguro dira taga sulod nga wala malipay sa ilang gibuhat. Nga tingali kanang nagpadala ug suwat involve ni sa drug trade nuon. Protector ni sa mga illegal na buhat diha,” said Davide.
The sender of the letter identified himself as a jail guard and tagged Toral and Manansala in the drug trade inside the CPDRC.
According to Davide, the CPDRC officials believe that the black propaganda is aimed at Toral since his personal life, specifically his being sentenced to jail for seven years back, is reportedly being dragged into the issue.
Toral has been transpa-rent about his past when he assumed as CPDRC consultant including serving jail time for drug possession. He has been featured by a number of media programs on his ironic life story of being in jail and now heading a jail facility.
“Na priso bitaw tinuod ni siya, he has been very vocal about it,” said Davide, who stressed that it may be Toral’s “calling” to head the CPDRC as he can best understand the inmates’ needs.
“Para nako he is doing a good job,” said Davide, who added that the inmates and the CPDRC personnel apparently agree to this, too, since based on the performance evaluation of the CPDRC officials by the inmates, all are in favor of Toral’s management.
“If you have doubts about Toral, you go check the CPDRC yourself,” Davide stressed.
The governor further challenged that if there are allegations against Toral, there should be solid evidence. “I need proof, give me proof.”
Manansala and other CPDRC personnel also turned over to Davide a letter of support for Toral. “We, the undersigned CPDRC key officers have arrived at a common consensus to come up with this letter to express our collective sentiments and moral support to Consultant on Jail Management, Marco Toral due to the anonymous letter sent to the governor’s office and vice governor’s office respectively and saw print in the commentator’s column of local newspapers,” the statement read.
The letter was signed by Manansala, the facility’s chief nurse Merryssa Ba-ring, acting admin officer Jose Autor, acting security officer Linje Grondiano, acting assistant security officer Ray Baladjay and assistant to the provincial warden Mark Along.
Meanwhile, Davide said that Provincial Intelligence Branch chief Rodulfo Albutra was also present during his meeting with the CPDRC heads to discuss the drug situation at the facility and the drug suspects that the PIB has arrested and are now at CPDRC.
“They’ve been on it. Dugay naman na ang PIB diha, nag-monitor naman sila diha,” said the governor, who disclosed that he also spoke to Albutra on highly confidential matters. (FREEMAN)