On their bosses' link to 'Tax' on inmates' visitora: BBRC jail guards retract, say it was their initiative

The two female jail guards arrested Monday in an entrapment have retracted their earlier statements implicating their superiors in the collection of "tax" from inmates' visitors who sell food inside the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center.

In a press conference yesterday, Jail Officer 1's Eiveht Sy and Menchu Landero practically cleared their bosses to the anomaly, saying they did it on their own initiative.

Sy and Landero, now reassigned at the regional office of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology where the presscon was held, said the practice has been there since they came into the BBRC and they just continued it.

Landero said the money they have collected have been used as transportation allowances for fellow jailguards who will bring inmates to hospitals in case their allowance coming from the BJMP-7 have not arrived yet.

Sy said that since she holds the lowest rank in their administration section, she handles the money due to her availability that she could immediately release it for some emergency needs. But she confirmed the cash flow was never recorded.

BBRC warden Teofilo Labating Jr. also denied that officials were being involved in the "tax" collection, insisting he never knew about it since assuming his post in November 2004. He said he had been warning his personnel from receiving money from inmates and visitors. The BJMP had ordered Labating to complete the probe on the irregularity in 72 hours but he said he might not be able to comply it especially now that there have been reports that more jail personnel could be a part of the illegal activities.

BJMP-7 deputy director Cesar Balderas said that, during his time as BBRC warden in 1999, he was not also aware of such collection because there was a cooperative then as a source of funds inside the facility but this was also stopped by their Manila headquarters.

Balderas said the investigation on the matter will still continue to get to the truth of the matter as more personnel will still be subject to investigations to get more evidences to pin down the two guards for possible sanctions. He said it is irregular to receive money from a visitor.

In a related development, Vice Mayor Michael Rama, as chairman of the Police Coordinating and Advisory Council, asked Labating to quit from his position. "He should resign now with all the controversies and accusations hurdled against his men," Rama said believing that the jail official might have something to do with the anomaly.

The city council yesterday unanimously approved a resolution asking the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas to conduct a top-to-bottom probe into the reported irregular deals inside the BBRC.

Councilor Edgardo Labella, chairman of the committee on laws, said, "it is reasonable to factor in the top management officers of BBRC in the investigation considering the alleged revelations of the suspects which tend to indicate that their so called collection acts were done with the nod of high jail management officers at BBRC." -Flor Z. Perolina and Garry B. Lao