The prison cell at Camp Crame in Quezon City has already been renovated and just waiting for its occupants — Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Bong Revilla, and Jinggoy Estrada.
The lawmakers are facing plunder charges in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam of Janet Lim Napoles. All three continue to deny the charges but the office of the Ombudsman are soon expected to order their arrest.
“The painting job has been completed. The lighting fixtures of the building have also been replaced,” the source said in an interview.
The three had been identified by witnesses and documents as among the lawmakers who made available their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations to nongovernment organizations of alleged pork barrel scam operator Janet Lim Napoles.
The detention building, located at the back portion of the one-hectare compound, was previously vacant, the source added.
The building is one of the eight detention bungalows within the prison compound, which holds several prominent individuals, among them retired police generals, facing various criminal charges.
It has eight detention cells each measuring about 10 square meters, according to the police official.
The individual cell also has its own toilet and bath which is only “half covered.” “Like [ordinary] prison cells, it is designed like that to allow prison guards to check what the detainee is doing even while he is taking a bath or using the toilet,” according to the source.
Like inside a bird cage
“Those who will occupy those cells will be literally like birds inside a cage because they’re surrounded by steel bars,” he added.
The source said detainees occupying Building B have been told that they would be transferred to Building C apparently to ensure that individuals linked to the multibillion-peso fund scam would be occupying the same area. (by Marion Ramos of PDI)