No grieving in peace for detainee at baby’s wake

MANILA, Philippines — Manila City Jail detainee Reina Mae Nasino could not grieve in peace as tensions rose between her grieving family and security escorts who cut her bereavement furlough short yesterday.

The Manila regional trial court reduced Nasino’s furlough from a whole day to only three hours yesterday, allowing her to visit three-month-old baby River’s wake in Pandacan, Manila from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. only. River died of pneumonia on Oct. 9.

Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) female dormitory warden Maria Ignacia Monteron cited their depleted personnel making them unable to guard the detainee for three whole days, the furlough earlier granted by Judge Paulino Gallegos.

According to political prisoners support group Kapatid, more than 20 jail guards and police officers, some armed, were deployed to guard Nasino, even though Monteron told the court they only have 12 jail guards serving on escort duty for the dormitory’s 665 female detainees.

Wearing personal protective equipment, Nasino, 23, struggled to wipe away her tears behind her face shield as she stood by her baby’s coffin under the close guard of her female escorts.

“Remove the handcuffs. Shame on you. She cannot even rise from her chair with soldiers clinging to her,” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim told Nasino’s escorts who refused to remove the grieving mother’s handcuffs.

Nasino’s visit was marred by a tense encounter between her grieving family members and the jail guards who barred her from talking to media and tried to whisk her away an hour before the end of her furlough.

“I am begging that you give us peace. Please just let her be. To those who are making a scene, please get out, you are not allowed here,” Nasino’s mother Marites Asis told the mostly male jail guards and armed police officers who barged into the funeral parlor.

Nasino’s lawyers argued with the escorts that the court order allowed her up to 4 p.m., but as early as 3 p.m., police prepared a cordon to take Nasino away.

Their pleas were left unheard as Nasino was taken away at 3:40 p.m., minutes short of the end of her furlough.

In a statement, Kapatid denounced the reduction of the furlough justified by the BJMP on health reasons based on fears Nasino could be infected with virus during her furlough.

Nasino was allowed another three-hour furlough for her baby’s burial at the Manila North Cemetery on Friday.

Nasino was among three activists raided by police last year at the Tondo office of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan as part of the government’s crackdown on left-leaning groups. Her camp said the firearms and explosives recovered were planted.