Jad Dera admits leaving NBI facility several times

High-profile detainee Jad Dera on Wednesday admitted to senators that he was able to leave the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) facility several times.

At a Senate justice and human rights investigation, Dera said he was able to leave the NBI facility multiple times, and only one of those trips had a court order. 

According to Dera, he was able to leave the NBI’s detention facility on January 20, 2022 to have himself checked in a hospital in Manila. This was authorized by a court order dated December 10, 2021.

Dera said he was able to leave the detention facility for the second time to go to another hospital and have his heart checked, but this time he had no approval from the court.

The third time that he was able to leave the NBI was on Father’s Day this year and the fourth time was on June 20, reportedly for a date, where he and five NBI jail guards were nabbed.

But during Senator Francis Tolentino’s interpellation, Dera also confirmed claims that he was also able to go to Calatagan, Batangas, but said he cannot recall the exact date.

He also admitted going to Tagaytay City with other NBI officers.

“Nu’ng may trinansfer sa Cavite, sumama ako,” Dera said.

Dera said the road trip to Tagaytay City happened around March and they even stopped at a restaurant. 

Dera, however, denied going to Subic, contrary to some reports.

NBI Director Medardo De Lemos said he was never informed of any of these trips until Dera and his cohorts were arrested.

“It was only after the arrest that these unauthorized bring out of the detainee came to the attention of the top management of the NBI,” De Lemos said.

Tolentino expressed concern about the alleged unauthorized trips outside detention, saying these might not have stopped if they had not been “highlighted” in the media.

“Baka tuloy-tuloy pa ito, baka manuod ka pa ng FIBA basketball sa August,” Tolentino said.

At the latter part of the hearing, De Lemos said detainees are only allowed to leave the detention center if they have a court order, or if they have an emergency medical condition.

Asked how he was able to leave the NBI detention facility, Dera said he would make a request to NBI security officer Randy Godoy—one of the individuals who was nabbed during the June 20 unauthorized trip to Makati.

Dera said Godoy would relay the request to his superior, NBI Security Management head Adrian Feudo.

But Godoy said not all requests were coursed through him.

“Minsan, sa lawyer na po sila nagsasabi ng request tapos diretso na sa opisina,” he said.

For his part, Feudo said he cannot recall an instance when Dera’s request was not coursed through Godoy.

He said he always asked Godoy about the reason for Dera’s request and his subordinate always cited Dera’s medical condition.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa asked Feudo if he considered Dera’s condition as an extreme medical emergency, noting the detainee’s “fatness.”

In response, Feudo said their physician has a “medical referral” regarding Dera’s health, but that he did not understand the doctor’s recommendation.

“Basta nagpaalam for  medical reason, pinapayagan ko po,” Feudo said.

At this point, Tolentino pointed out the disconnect between Godoy’s and Feudo’s testimonies.

On the June 20 trip where Dera went to a restaurant in Makati, Godoy said there was no request from the detainee.

He said Feudo called him to accompany Dera that time.

When asked to confirm Godoy’s statement, Feudo told the panel that he wanted to seek his legal counsel’s help as his testimonies before the Senate could be used against him.

The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court has already ordered Dera’s transfer to the Muntinlupa City Jail.

Dera is facing a charge of violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and has been detained at the NBI jail since 2019. He is also facing murder charges. —VAL/BM, GMA Integrated News