Philippine National Police Chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa sees nothing wrong with the alleged secret jail found in one of the police stations in Manila.
This, however, was only if the prisoners there were not tortured or extorted from.
“As long as the prisoners were not tortured or extorted (from), it’s okay with me,” he told reporters.
The detainees in the supposed secret facility in Station 1 have since been moved to a regular prison cell.
According to Manila Police District director Chief Supt. Joel Coronel, the Station 1 commander, Supt. Robert Domingo, had said the alleged secret facility was not hidden, and was only a temporary detention place to house those arrested who could no longer fit in the regular jail.
Domingo said in fact, the inmates there could be visited by their loved ones.
Domingo has nonetheless been relieved from his post pending an investigation.
Dela Rosa also accused the Commission on Human Rights, which made public the supposed secret cell following what it said was a tip from a reliable source, of plotting to embarrass Duterte’s government instead.
CHR representatives visited the facility as the country was preparing to host the 30th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit on Saturday.
Jacqueline de Guia, CHR spokesperson, denied the allegation. (Agence France Presse)