THE local government of Taguig is against the proposal to move Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. and other accused in the Maguindanao massacre to the police regional headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan Taguig, saying it poses a “clear and present danger” to the security of the city.
“The proposed transfer will not only pose a great danger to our peaceful and thriving city, but may also endanger the life of the accused himself once he is exposed to other prisoners,” Taguig City Mayor Freddie Tinga said on Thursday when sought for comment on the planned transfer of detention.
“He is a high-risk prisoner and it is best for him (Ampatuan) to continue to be detained in isolation at the tightly secured NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) headquarters in Manila,” he added.
Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera earlier said that Ampatuan, who stand accused of killing 57 people, including 31 journalists, should stay at the NBI.
On Wednesday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said he is amenable to the proposed transfer of Ampatuan, presently under the custody of the NBI, to Camp Bagong Diwa instead of the Quezon City Jail.
The families of the slain journalists, represented by human rights lawyer Harry Roque, made a manifestation to transfer Ampatuan to the Quezon City jail.
Mayor Tinga also noted that Camp Bagong Diwa, the headquarters of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), is just about 200 meters away from Barangay Maharlika, one of the biggest Muslim communities in the country, outside of Mindanao.
“Many residents fear that the transfer of Ampatuan may jeopardize the safety and security in the said community,” he said.
Way back in 2001, Tinga backed by majority of the city’s residents particularly the Muslim community, strongly opposed the then-impending transfer of trial and imprisonment of hundreds of Abu Sayyaf members from Mindanao to Camp Bagong Diwa. Their plea, however, fell on deaf ears.
In March 2005, a foiled jail break of Abu Sayyaf members detained at the Camp Bagong Diwa jail led to a bloody standoff.
“The 2005 standoff was a concrete evidence of the peril and threat to which a city like Taguig hosting a major prison facility is exposed. We should not allow this to happen again,” Tiñga stressed.
The detention center in Taguig, the Metro Manila District Jail (MMDJ), is operated by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
It holds about 660 detainees, including some 170 considered as high-profile inmates who are members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf group.
The MMDJ has a capacity to hold some 1,400. (AH/Sunnex)