Warden, consultant tagged in CPDRC drug trade

CEBU, Philippines -  The warden of the Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center and his consultant are being accused of condoning the entry of illegal drugs into the jail but the two are quick to deny the allegations and challenged the accuser to man up and prove the claim.

Jail warden Romeo Manansala told The Freeman that he and his consultant, Marco Toral, are willing to face investigation.

“Layo ra gyud na sa tinuod. Kabalo mi nga kung magbinuang madakpan ra gyud. Andam mi magpa-imbestigar (That’s far from the truth. We know the consequences of breaking the law. We are ready to face investigation),” Manansala said.

Toral, for his part, said he could not afford to lose the trust of Governor Hilario Davide III. He also challenged the sender of the anonymous letter to support the allegations through a sworn affidavit.

The sender who identified himself as a jail guard wrote in the letter: “… 3 ra daw gi-reassign kay ang 3 giduphan man kay mao mana ang taytayan gikan sa gawas aron masulod ang drugas sulod sa CPDRC…bisan e-out na cla naa gihapon ang mga punoan . Ang consultant ug jail warden maoy kakunsabo sa drug trade diri sa among prisohan.”

The sender also said that the six jail guards accused of being involved in the trade only serve as conduits and Manansala and Toral would allegedly inform inmates involved in the drug trade about an impending cell inspection.

“Ug mag-searching pud kada selda, bisan kinsa nga ahensya ang mopahigayon wa gyoy makuha (That’s why any agency that conducts searching would find nothing),” the computerized letter reads further.

Davide assured he will look into the allegations but said his trust on Manansala and Toral remains. Toral, for one, Davide said, is someone who knows how it is to be in jail.

“I trust him. He’s a personal friend of mine. I know him. He was detained for seven years so sweto na siya sa pamaagi diha. He made a lot of improvements man pud diha sa jail,” Davide told reporters. (FREEMAN)