Gwen: No catered food for political detainees

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has turned down the request of political detainees Eduardo Sacamay and Jigger Geverola to be served by the province with catered food in their new "home" at the stockade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Central Command.

Her brother, Capitol consultant on security concerns Byron Garcia, brought up this concern to her yesterday morning.

This as the two political detainees were finally moved from the Cebu Provincial Rehabilitation and Detention Center to the detention facility at Centcom in barangay Apas last Thursday morning.

"So ato na silang nahatagan sa ilang gusto kay wa man gyud to sila malipay diha sa CPDRC so naundang na nato ilang kaguol," she told reporters yesterday afternoon.

However, the governor rejected the "demand" of Sacamay and Geverola to be served the same catered food they had in CPDRC.

Instead, the governor said the P30 meal allowance for each of the two inmates will be subsidized and released to Centcom on a monthly basis.

"Lami gyud kaayo atong pagkaon bisan wa sila ganahi sa atong lugar pero we are not in the catering business man god," she commented.

Prior to their transfer, Capitol sent its engineering team and as well as materials needed for the repair of the stockade at Centcom, so it may be conducive for the detention and rehabilitation of the two.

"Na-concern man god ko nga samtang naa sila sa CPDRC, naguol intawn sila. Di man ko gusto nga maguol bisan kinsang naa sa Sugbu mao nang naningkamot gyud ko nga mahatagan sila sa ilang kalipay. They must be overjoyed no," she said.

Last month, the Regional Trial Court Branch 25 in Danao City granted Capitol's motion seeking for the transfer of political detainees CPDRC to the detention facility at Centcom.

But while the court granted in an omnibus order the motion of the provincial government, it however denied the twin motions of Sacamay, specifically his motions to quash on the ground of double jeopardy, and to cite CPDRC jail warden Alfredo Abella and others for contempt.

In her omnibus order dated July 14, Judge Sylvia Paderanga said Capitol's motion for the transfer of Sacamay and others from the CPDRC to the detention facility of Centcom is "meritorious and necessary."

Also, Paderanga denied the motion to quash filed by Sacamay on the ground of double jeopardy for the rebellion case he is facing here before the lower court.

Paderanga said it is "unfounded in law and jurisprudence", emphasizing that although Sacamay has already been arraigned before the RTC in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, for the same offense, this court sees no cogent reason to grant his motion to quash on the ground of double jeopardy.

The reason being that the other element, specifically that the accused is either convicted or acquitted, or the case is dismissed without his express consent, is not present.

Sacamay, a suspected NPA leader, was arrested near his house in Panagdait, barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, last March 2002 while Geverola was one of the alleged two ranking guerilla leaders arrested in Argao town in May 2004.

At the time of his arrest, Geverola was alleged as secretary general of the New People's Army Front 5, which covers Cebu's northern towns. - Cristina C. Birondo