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[av_heading heading=’PDEA defends stripping Cebu inmates naked’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Saturday, March 4, 2017
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A handout photo from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 7 taken on Feb. 28 and released on March 2 shows naked inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center sitting during a joint raid by the PDEA and the Cebu Police Provincial Office on illegal drugs and contraband. PDEA HANDOUT / AFP
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MANILA – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 7 director defended his call to strip inmates naked during a raid at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center on Tuesday.
Yogi Filemon Ruiz stressed that it was part of security procedures and aimed at ensuring the inmates were not hiding anything.
“It was my call as the ground commander at the time,” Ruiz told dzBB radio on Friday. “Pinahubad ko sila to make sure na wala silang tinatago.”
“That was also mutual protection, sa raiding team at … ng mga preso dahil posibleng pag-ugatan iyan ng riot,” he added. “Much better to be safe kesa may isa sa kasamahan natin [na masaktan].”
Ruiz said it was the second time that such raid was held at the Cebu jail. He emphasized it was done only among male inmates.
“That was for the mutual protection,” he insisted. “Nagpasalamat nga rin ang mga preso kasi walang isa sa kanila nasaktan, and it was very orderly.”
“Ang mga babae, separate sila ng dormitory. Upon our briefing, babaeng operatives lang din ang pwedeng makapasok,” Ruiz added. “Never in a single instance na may [babaeng] pinahubad, frisking lang.”
Photos of the naked inmates went viral on social media early Tuesday morning and earned criticisms for alleged human rights violations.
On Friday the Commission on Human Rights began looking into the controversial drug raid.
The investigation was aimed at coming up with measures on how to prevent a similar incident./PN
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