Hierarchy in PDEA

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is headed by no less than the Commander-in-Chief madam President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. She has appointed retired General Dionisio Santiago as her Under Secretary (Usec) with the position of Director General of PDEA. PDEA is divided to three teams; the Special Enforcement Services (SES) lead by Director Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino from the Philippine Marines the Critical Reaction Unit (CRU) lead by Director Maj. Lopez and the Metro-Manila Regional Officer (MMRO) currently lead by Regional Director (RD) retired Col. Carlos F. Gadapan. The MMRO serves the main Metro-Manila team with limited jurisdiction to operate in other parts of the country, while the SES and CRU are the effort teams with jurisdiction to operate anywhere in the Philippines.

Custodial Detention Facility (CDF) of PDEA is managed under the supervision of the MMRO Regional Director. The RD has assigned IO1 Roberto Sebastian (Sir Baste) as Chief Officer (CO) who he selected amongst his men to act as warden to the duty Jail Guards. The CO basically enforces the strict instructions of the RD and ensures that they are properly implemented. Assigned under the CO are his Jail Guards assigned in twenty-four hour shifts from nine in the morning to nine in the morning of the following day. All Jail Guards are male in gender and are Intelligence Officer I (IO1) in rank. They are authorized to conduct daily head counts and generally probe the detention area activities. PDEA has also assigned a round robin of Officers of the Day (OD) who is assigned to patrol the premises and ensure that everything is in order. The OD is at the same level of authority as the CO, but is not affiliated with the CDF. The OD is also authorized to conduct head counts and/or supervise over a jail guard conducting one.

Inside the CDF there is a separate hierarchy of power. The Mayor is in charge of the male detainees, he ensures that all rules and regulations are properly followed and abided by all under his control. The Mayora acts as the same for the female detainees. Below the two are their respective Bastonero and Bastonera who are in charge of assigning daily chores. The Bastonero and Bastonera collect Php 20.00 daily for rice and water consumption allowance from each detainee. Detainees are also requested to donate Php 50.00/day to them for visitors, which will serve as food budget for everyone to share. The Assistant Bastonero is in charge of handling the detainees’ case folders and updating the detainee status blackboard. He conducts monthly status reports for the CO and makes sure to inform him of up coming scheduled trials/hearings. The Officer-in-Charge (OIC) ensures that all tasks are properly conducted and that there are no problems in implementation. The Floor Manger is in charge of sweeping, mopping and maintaining the cleanliness of the floor area of the CDF. The Chief Mahinarya secures that all assigned Mahinarya on duty below him are properly doing their jobs. The Mahinarya is assigned to watch over all other detainees from ten in the evening (lights out) to four in the morning of the following day. It is only at four in the morning wherein they are allowed to get some shut eye. Any detainee may act as a server to another detainee with the blessing from the Mayor. This entitles him to a Php 20.00 minimum allowance as daily salary plus other amenities like food and bed space.

No matter what the position or rank given, all of us provide each other with outmost respect for one another. It is our belief that our Jail Guards are just doing their jobs despite the fact that some of them occasionally abuse their power from time to time. It is also our understanding that each detainee is just waiting for his or her day in court to defend their case in order to be set free one day. Each of us plays our respective roles like we do in the outside world. We feel our surrounding environment and adapt to it for our own sake and for the greater good of all. The one good thing about being branded as a detainee is that, a detainee is not yet convicted nor charged guilty for the alleged crime committed since it is stated in the law that, the accused is always presumed to be innocent until his or her guilt is otherwise proven.