Businessman Cedric Lee was brought to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa on May 3 to start serving his sentence after being convicted by a Taguig court of serious illegal detention for ransom.
In a decision on May 2, the Taguig Regional Trial Court Branch 153 found Lee, Deniece Cornejo, Simeon Palma Raz Jr. and Ferdinand Guerrero guilty beyond reasonable doubt of serious illegal detention for ransom of TV host and comedian Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro and sentenced them to reclusion perpetua.
(From left) Deniece Cornejo, Vhong Navarro and Cedric Lee (Photos: Facebook and screenshots from "It's Showtime" and "TV Patrol" videos)
“Wherefore, premises considered, this court hereby finds accused Deniece Millinette Cornejo, Cedric Lee, Ferdinand Guerrero And Simeon Palma Raz, guilty beyond reasonable doubt for the crime of serious illegal detention for ransom, defined and punished under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended; and hereby sentences them to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua,” the court ruled.
Lee and Guerrero did not attend the promulgation of the decision in the case by the Taguig court. Cornejo and Raz were present in court and were immediately taken into custody.
Warrants of arrest were issued by the court against Lee and Guerrero. Lee later surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Guerrero is at large.
Lee was escorted from the NBI Quezon City office to the NBP Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) where he underwent admission procedures for newly arrived prisoners including having his fingerprints and mugshots taken.
He was admitted to the NBP RDC at 9:55 p.m., according to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Public Information Office.
Cedric Lee being interviewed by media upon his arrival at the NBP Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) in Muntinlupa (Screenshot from ABS-CBN News video)
Cedric Lee (in blue t-shirt) at the NBP Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) in Muntinlupa (Screenshot from ABS-CBN News video) 
Cedric Lee wearing the tangerine uniform assigned for maximum security prisoners at the NBP Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) in Muntinlupa (Screenshot from ABS-CBN News video)
When he was asked by the media if he was nervous, Lee said, “Ay hindi na, pinagdaanan ko na to (I’m no longer [nervous]. I have experienced this before),” ABS-CBN News reported.
After the case was filed, the Taguig RTC Branch 271 issued warrants of arrest against Lee, Cornejo, and other accused in April 2014. Lee and Raz were arrested by authorities in Dolores, Eastern Samar on April 25, 2014, according to the court decision.
Lee was detained at the Taguig City Jail until September 2014. He was released after the Taguig court granted his petition for bail.
Before he was brought to the NBP, his blood pressure was checked at the NBI.
“Tumaas lang ang BP ko kasi napuyat ako kagabi (My BP went up because I stayed up late last night),” he said.
On what next steps he would take, Lee said, “Ako? Pahinga muna (Me? I'll rest first). Recharge.”
“Bahala na mga lawyers ko (My lawyers will take care of it),” Lee said about his next legal step about the case.
Reclusion perpetua different from life imprisonment
Under the amended Article 27 of the Revised Penal Code, “The penalty of reclusion perpetua shall be from twenty years and one day to forty years.”
On June 21, 1993, then Chief Justice Narvasa issued Administrative Circular No. 6-A-92, telling trial judges that reclusion perpetua and life imprisonment are not the same.
"Reclusion Perpetua entails imprisonment for at least thirty (30) years after which the convict becomes eligible for pardon. It also carries with it accessory penalties, namely: perpetual special disqualification, etc. It is not the same as life imprisonment which, for one thing, does not carry with it any accessory penalty, and for another, does not appear to have any definite extent or duration," according to the circular.
Narvasa added, "As early as 1948, in People vs. Mobe, reiterated in PP vs. Pilones and in the concurring opinion of Justice Ramon Aquino in People vs. Sumadic, this Court already made it clear that reclusion perpetua is not the same as imprisonment for life or life imprisonment. Every Judge should take note of the distinction and this Court expects that, henceforth, no trial judge should mistake one for the other. "
Lee at RDC
At the RDC, Lee was required by a BuCor officer to wear the tangerine uniform for maximum security prisoners. All prisoners confined at RDC are classified as maximum security prisoners. Lee was assigned a permanent prisoner number.
On May 2, Raz was brought by the police to the NBP RDC. Cornejo was brought to the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong to serve her sentence.
Lee will stay at the RDC for 60 days. Of the 60, he will spend the first five days in quarantine where he will undergo physical examination to know if he has “any physical illness or handicap or mental ailment and to segregate those suspected of having an infectious or contagious disease,” according to the BuCor manual. He will also be oriented about prison rules and be interviewed by a counselor, social worker or other officers.
After quarantine, he will stay at the RDC for 55 days to “undergo psychiatric, psychological, sociological, vocational, educational and religious and other examinations.”
Lee will be classified based on security risk. A maximum security prisoner is one whose minimum sentence is 20 years among other factors.
Related stories:
Taguig RTC convicts Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo for serious illegal detention filed by Vhong Navarro
Deniece Cornejo spends first night at Correctional as maximum security prisoner