ILOILO City – Police Brigadier General Rolando Miranda, new Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director, is unfazed by criminal and administrative charges filed against him by a jailed human rights activist in Manila.
“I have to face all the charges. Wala naman akong kasalanan dyan,”Miranda told Panay News in a phone interview.
He was referring to the complaints filed by Reina Mae Nasino’s lawyers few hours before he took his oath as the new director of the PRO-6 in Camp Delgado here on Dec. 2.
Nasino’s camp alleged that the Manila Police District (MPD) which Miranda previously headed violated her rights, especially during the wake and funeral of her three-month-old baby River in October.
During the burial, the policemen were accused of disrespecting the rites by deploying a number of policemen and allegedly hijacking the vehicle carrying the cadaver and speeding off towards the cemetery.
Nasino, who is facing illegal possession of firearms and explosives charges, equated the actions as acts of torture given the “inhuman and degrading” treatment towards her.
She also wanted the police officers charged for violating the Ombudsman Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
Miranda, however, dismissed what critics described as an “overkill” and disrespect of policemen during the burial of Nasino’s baby.
“Na-ilibing naman ng maayos ang kanyang anak,” Miranda stressed.
The MPD personnel, he said, only performed their duty according to what the situation required.
“Binigyan ko pa nga ng security,” he pointed out.
A month after she was born in July, Baby River was separated from her mother.
Nasino pleaded to be with her baby for at least a year but a local court denied her petition.
Due to acute respiratory disease, River died on Oct. 9.
On the day of the funeral, Nasino’s family appealed to the authorities to show some compassion by removing her handcuffs if only to hold her child’s coffin. Her security escorts refused, forcing Nasino to exert all the effort her body can muster to touch the small casket while bound by the handcuffs.
Miranda said he did not allow the handcuffs to be removed, saying it is a standard operating procedure to handcuff a detainee.
“Ano pa ang gusto niya? Hindi maaaring e-remove natin ang posas kasi tayo ang mananagot,” Miranda said.
Earlier, Nasino’s mother, Marites Asis, filed complaints, with the help of some members of the National Union of People’s Lawyers, at the Office of the Ombudsman. These were the following:
* violation of Republic Act (RA) 9745 or the Anti-Torture Act
* violation of RA 10028 or the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act
* grave coercion
* maltreatment of prisoner
The administrative charges, on the other hand, were the following:
* grave misconduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service
* oppression
* grave abuse of authority
According to Miranda, he will face these charges in a proper forum.
“I’m ready all the time,” he said.
For its part, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) insisted that it acted according to law on the case of the political prisoner, including the limits imposed on her furlough.
“The BJMP maintains that we have acted within the bounds of the law and the rules and regulations of the agency,” said Chief Inspector Xavier Solda, BJMP spokesperson.
Nasino was arrested in the office of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan on Nov. 5, 2019 for possession of guns and explosives. She, however, claimed the evidence against her was “planted”./PN