Bureau of Corrections personnel search the quarters People Deprived of Liberty (PDL) inside the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City on March 4, 2020. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA (UPDATE 2)— Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gregorio Pio Catapang, Jr. on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the "degrading and traumatizing" strip search that wives of political prisoners reportedly went through during their visit at the New Bilibid Prison last month. 

News website Bulatlat earlier reported several accounts of "dehumanizing" body search experienced by kin of political prisoners, with women ordered to take off all their clothes —including underwear — before being made to squat multiple times with their private parts exposed.

Catapang said he would investigate the matter in order to clarify BuCor's protocol for visiting Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs).

"[S]trip search is strictly being implemented in all operating prison and penal farm of the agency following the increasing number of visitors caught sneaking in contraband placed in their private parts," the BuCor said in a statement.

Carlos Conde of Human Rights Watch said that while body searches are allowed by international law, "it has to be done [only] when absolutely necessary."

READ: Zamboanga jail reforms focus on protection of rights, dignity of PDLs

"When administered without regard for the laws on treatment of people in detention, particularly under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), it can be prone to abuse," he said.

Conde also said that based on the complaints by the wives, the BuCor personnel's body search "seemed whimsical, and thus seemingly abusive."

"Being made to squat repeatedly and for long periods of time is uncalled for, particularly on women. These searches need to be done with dignity and respect for the rights of the individual," he said.

PROTOCOL

In defending the strip searches, the BuCor said that "about 30 PDL visitors" had attempted to sneak contraband into penal facilities from Oct. 2023 to March this year.

READ: 'Longest-held' political prisoner in PH Juanito Itaas released

“We have to be strict, without fear or favor in the implementation of strip search, otherwise we will negate in our responsibility of protecting our PDLs and if we exempt an individual, we might be accused of giving VIP treatment,” Catapang said.

Catapang said these could have been addressed had Congress granted its appeal last year for additional budget to purchase full body scanner machines.

“[I]t can detect objects even those inside a person's body for security screening purposes, without physically removing the person clothes or making any physical contact,” Catapang said, adding that the machines cost between P20 to P25 million each. 

Kapatid, a support organization of families and friends of political prisoners, said the victims already filed formal complaints at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Monday. 

"The humiliating experience of the wives of political prisoners needs to be investigated for outright violations of international and national laws governing the treatment of prisoners and visitors and violence against women as well as for brazen harassment," Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said.

Lim also said the waiver for consent allowing strip search is "used as a tool of abuse and body cavity search has become the rule rather than the exception" for most PDLs.

One of the complainants, 63-year-old Gloria Almonte, said the jail searcher ignored her statements identifying herself as the wife of a political prisoner.

She also said she was forces to sign the waiver and consent to a body cavity search because she wanted to see her husband.

According to Almonte, she was trembling and was nearly in tears while she was being searched.

“I felt shame during those moments…It felt like my dignity as a human being was being trampled upon,” she added.

Other wives of political prisoners also recounted their embarrassing experience of being asked to strip naked and searched.

Kapatid said it hopes the CHR will take action like it did in January 2023 to address a similar complaint.

HOUSE PROBE ALSO SOUGHT

ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro has also called on the House Committee on Human Rights to investigate the incident and for prison and jail agencies to put a stop to strip searches.

In a privilege speech, Castro condemned the reported "intrusive, degrading and dehumanizing" strip and body cavity searches, saying these violate the Constitution and various human rights instruments.

"Hindi sapat ang mga salitang 'bastos' at 'nag-aalis ng puri at pagkatao' para sa mga opisyal na nagpapatupad ng mga ganitong polisiya," Castro said.

"Strip and body cavity searches and other procedures such as this are state-sanctioned violence against innocent — especially women. These are state-sanctioned sexual assaults that amount to cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment, not just for persons deprived of liberty but also those who wish to visit them."

Human rights group Karapatan has counted 795 political prisoners as of November 30, 2023. — with a report by Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News

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