The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas will house those who may be indicted in the multi-billion-peso flood control scandal.
DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla inspected the facility on Monday, saying the jail was the closest and ‘most convenient’ for anti-graft special court Sandiganbayan.
In a press briefing ahead of the inspection, Remulla said the new facility had 80 unoccupied rooms, capable of housing 10 persons deprived of liberty each.
The facility also had a bathroom, a shower, a toilet, purified drinking water, an area for exercise, and private quarters where those accused may confer with their legal counsels, Remulla added.
He said visitors may bring detainees cooked and packed food five times a week, except for Mondays and Fridays.
The DILG chief further noted that cellphones, tablets, and all communication devices will not be allowed – save for a landline in the facility that can only be used upon a request to the warden.
‘The rules of the jail will apply to the rich and to the poor the same,’ Remulla stressed.
‘We are preparing regular jail cells. If a thief of P100 at SM, if a thief and a shoplifter of lotion are jailed here, those who steal billions, in my opinion, should also be jailed here,’ he added speaking mostly in Filipino.
According to Remulla, the first round of indictments in the flood control scandal can be expected within the next three weeks and that at least 200 individuals will face charges.