The political prisoner support group Kapatid has urged the government to transfer former Senator Bong Revilla to a regular jail cell and to stop giving him “VIP treatment.”
In a statement, Kapatid said the current detention arrangements for Revilla send a “dangerous signal” that the law can be bent for those in power.
The group recalled that the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) earlier said the former lawmaker would be housed in a 47-square-meter facility designed for 10 people, complete with its own toilet and bathroom.
Despite BJMP’s insistence that Revilla is not receiving special treatment, the group disputed this claim.
Kapatid pointed out the stark contrast between Revilla’s conditions and what it described as the overcrowded and inhumane situation endured by other persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
According to Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim, it appears that the corrupt are being taken care of and even provided with mattresses, while the poor and political prisoners are left to suffer in cramped jail cells.
Lim said that “equal justice means equal conditions,” adding that corrupt accused individuals like Revilla and others should be placed in the same ordinary and congested jail facilities as everyone else.
Finally, the group also called for improvements in the conditions of PDLs nationwide.
(PHOTO COURTESY: Bong Revilla | Facebook)
