Woman's attempt to hide phone and charger in private part led to stricter conjugal visit rules, says jail chief
At A Glance
- BuCor Director Gregorio Catapang revealed during a House budget hearing that a woman was caught smuggling a cellphone, charger, and drugs inside her private part, prompting stricter rules on conjugal visits.
- He said contraband entry has been drastically reduced, but incidents involving visiting wives hiding items remain a concern, citing guards who discovered the smuggling when a phone rang.
- Catapang stressed that refusal to undergo inspection now results in denial of conjugal visits, as part of tightened measures to secure persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
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An enterprising woman who tried to sneak in a mobile phone and charger into jail by hiding it inside her you-know-what is the reason why the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) have become very strict with conjugal visits.
This was revealed by BuCor Director Gregorio Catapang Jr. on Monday afternoon, Aug. 24 during a budget hearing held by the House Committee on Appropriations.
The budget Department of Justice (DOJ), the mother agency of BuCor, was tackled by the appropriations panel chaired by Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep. Mikaela Angela "Mika" Suansing.
During the discussions, Senior Deputy Minority Leader Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima quizzed Catapang on whether or not BuCor secured persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) during transfer.
"Yung mga tina-transfer niyo, we know na mayroon kayong tina-transfer sa penal colonies na PDLs, correct? Nababantayan ho ba yun?" she asked.
(Those transfers you make, we know that you transfer PDLs to penal colonies, correct? Are those monitored?)
Catapang answered in the affirmative. He then shared that the bureau was able to reduce the quantity of contraband behind bars.
"Drastically nabawasan na natin yung pagpasok ng mga drugs. May mga nangyayari po yung bibisitang misis may dala-dalang drugs nilalagay sa private parts," he recalled casually.
(We have drastically reduced the entry of drugs. There are incidents where visiting wives bring drugs hidden in their private parts.)
"At meron nga pong kwento sa akin yung mga guwardya, nagbibiro, nahuli daw nila kasi yung cellphone nag-ring. And then nakuha doon sa private part niya may cellphone, may adaptor, meron pang drugs," Catapang said.
(And the guards even told me a story, joking that they caught one because the cellphone rang. Then they found in her private part a cellphone, an adaptor, and even drugs.)
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There was an audible gasp from the attendees, particularly after Catapang mentioned the adaptor or charger.
"Paano po yun? (How can that be?)" an incredulous De Lima asked
"Opo totoo po. Merong nangyaring ganun (Yes, it's true. Something like that happened)," Catapang told the audience.
The BuCor head honcho said the person involved was "A very small woman."
"Kaya talaga po pag ayaw nila magpa-inspeksyon hindi na pwedeng mag conjugal visit kung ayaw magpa-inspect nung misis," he said.
(That is why if they refuse inspection, conjugal visits can no longer be allowed if the wife refuses to be inspected.)
A conjugal visit is a private prison visit where an inmate or PDL is allowed to spend time alone with their spouse or partner, often including sexual relations, to maintain family bonds and emotional support.