Detainees now need DILG approval before holding press briefings

Detained persons will now need the personal approval of the Philippines’ Interior Secretary before being allowed to hold a press conference. Previous jail policies only required approval from BJMP officials and consent from detainees and their lawyers, Chief Superintendent Serafin Barreto, chief of the BJMP-National Capital Region, said. Rules covering these media briefings have been tightened after massacre murder suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr. was able to hold a press conference earlier this week. The move was in compliance with DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno's April 22 memorandum ordering the relief of a jail warden responsible for the holding of Andal Jr.'s press conference while in detention. Senior Inspector Lloyd Gonzaga, deputy warden at the Quezon City Jail Annex inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City was ordered temporarily relieved. "Babaguhin na namin ang policy, kasi narinig na namin ang policy ni Secretary [Puno] na siya na ang mag-a-approve," he said in a radio interview. (The policy will be changed because we heard that the policy of Secretary Puno is that he will need to approve it personally.) Jail officials had insisted that Tuesday's incident at Camp Bagong Diwa was an interview and was not a press conference. Gonzaga said he wondered why the public made a fuss out of the "press conference" when Andal Jr. had long been seen being interviewed by the media while staying in his previous detention cell at the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Manila. "Nagtataka kami nung nasa NBI iyan, nage-endorse din sya pero ngayon naging malaki ang issue. Wala din naman naging violation doon, rights niya iyon eh," Barreto said. (We just find it strange that when [Andal Jr.] was at the NBI, he was also able to give media interviews. No such violation has been committed because that’s his right.) "Sumasagot lang naman sya sa tanong ng media so sa palagay ko walang kasalanan iyong gwardiya," he added. ([Andal Jr.] was only replying to a question raised by media so I think the guard had nothing to do with that.) Taking over Gonzaga's post is Supt. Clement Laboy, regional chief of staff of the BJMP. But Barreto said Gonzaga's deputy is currently overseeing jail operations at Camp Bagong Diwa since Laboy is currently on leave. Barreto sided with Gonzaga in insisting that the relieved officer's approval of holding of the press conference did not violate any BJMP policies. "Malinaw naman sa ating jail policies na allowed iyan kahit tawag, written, pwede siyang magpa-inetrview bast pumapayag ang lawyer at inmate," (Our jail policies are clear — interviews conducted by writing or over the phone are allowed as long as lawyers and inmates agree to them.) However, Barreto admitted the BJMP was caught off guard when Andal Jr. suddenly endorsed Liberal Party's (LP) Noynoy Aquino during the press conference that was originally meant to allow the massacre suspect to air his side on Justice Sec. Alberto Agra's order clearing two Ampatuan clan members. "Ang nangyari kasi doon tinanong ng media kung bakit siya may suot na yellow baller. Kaya napapasok iyong issue sa sino ang kanilang ie-endorse," said Barreto. (What happened is that the media asked him why he was wearing yellow. That’s why he was asked which among the presidential bets he was endorsing.) Yellow is the LP's campaign color. But Barreto added that press conferences for suspected criminals can really be "free-flowing." He said the BJMP only required the camp of the inmate to submit a transcript and the minutes of any press briefing. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV