THE Cebu City Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC) will tackle the reported “very important persons (VIP) lounge” at the Cebu City Jail when they meet again next week.
PCAC presiding officer Eugene Elizalde said he will give City Jail Warden Johnson Calub a chance to explain the pictures of the reported VIP lounge leaked to Sun.Star Cebu.
“Since it has been reported in the newspaper, PCAC will tackle this during the next meeting,” said Elizalde.
Mayor Michael Rama was grateful for the report, saying he has been receiving text messages about the illegal activities at the City Jail, not necessarily limited to the VIP lounge.
However, since these are just text messages to him as mayor, he could not make a formal act on it. The mayor forwarded complaints against illegal jail activities to PCAC and other concerned departments.
But since it has come out on paper, the Office of the City Mayor can consider this a formal issue that will be checked and investigated.
Detractors
Calub said the photos could have been spread by people who want to discredit him.
The photographs showed men lounging in the so-called VIP area, which has a karaoke machine, some bedrooms, water station and cooking equipment that would show that people are living there and not merely visiting.
Calub said the area is not a VIP lounge, but an activity area cum visiting lounge for the inmates and their loved ones. The rooms are for conjugal visits.
PCAC earlier praised Calub after the latter made a report that he was able to curb illegal activities inside the jail by 80 percent.
Activities
Illegal activities include the movement of drugs from the outside as well as the use of cellular phones by the inmates. Mobile phones are not illegal per sé, but these are considered contraband for inmates.
Calub believes that the changes he enforced in the jail facility since he assumed the post of warden in 2011 may have hurt some people.
“I think the purpose is to discredit my credibility,” said Calub of the photographs.