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MANILA, Philippines – Senator Nancy Binay on Sunday called for the temporary release of political detainee Queen Nasino to allow her to visit the remains of her three-month-old baby.
“Again, we ask for the temporary release of Reina so that she can be with her son for the last time,” Binay said in a statement and called for “greater compassion” from prison authorities and prosecutors.
On September 24, Nasino’s baby, River, was taken to the Manila Medical Center due to diarrhea and fever and was later confirmed to have pneumonia.
Baby River later died on October 9 when her lungs succumbed to a bacterial infection in the intensive care unit of Philippine General Hospital.
Binay had previously asked the jail authorities to temporarily release Nasino so that she could properly breastfeed her baby.
“Ang pinaglalaban po natin is to have a legal basis under existing laws for the courts to provide alternative modes of confinement for women detained for humanitarian and compassionate reasons,” the senator said.
Baby River, who was born the first week of July and was separated from her mother on August 13, by order of Section 20 of the Manila Regional Court of First Instance. A motion for reconsideration was filed but was denied. The case was taken to the Court of Appeals which remains pending.
Meanwhile, Section 20 of the Manila Regional Court of First Instance, which separated the mother from the daughter, finally withdrew from the case. The case was raffled again to Manila RTC Branch 42, whose judge also inhibited. The case is now at Manila RTC Branch 37.
Since 2014, Binay has introduced and resubmitted several bills and Senate resolutions for alternative forms of confinement based on humanitarian grounds, and has sought the revision of existing standards for the health care needs of pregnant inmates in order to meet the special needs of women and nursing mothers in prisons.
Last Congress, Binay also introduced Senate Bill 1886, or “A Law Creating Programs for Incarcerated Parents and Their Children,” which seeks to help incarcerated parents develop and maintain their relationship with their children.
“We must also review whether the existing BJMP policies and protocols regarding women in detention, especially their access to care and medical facilities, remain relevant to the new normal,” Binay said.
JE
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