Bilibid raids to continue

An official of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Alabang, Muntinlupa City has announced that raids on cells and huts would continue as part of the crackdown on illegal items being kept by inmates.

Francisco Abonales, superintendent of the maximum prison compound, said so-called "VIP inmates" at the NBP would not receive special treatment.

"We can’t let their kubols go unchecked. Mas maraming magagalit kapag ganoon," Abonales told The STAR in a phone interview.

Several rich and influential inmates have allegedly been enjoying special amenities in their kubols. Former politicians, businessmen, and scions of rich families are serving various prison sentences at the NBP.

In a raid last Wednesday, NBP officials confiscated an airconditioner, refrigerator, two cellular phones, and an intercom unit inside the kubol of inmate Peter Co, who is serving life sentence for drug trafficking.

The search for suspected shabu in Co’s kubol was futile but they scored big in discovering the banned appliances.

Lawyer Rachel Ruelo, former Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) head, told The STAR that satellite dishes and a surveillance camera had also been confiscated from inmates a few months ago.

Abonales noted that after Wednesday’s raid, several inmates had surrendered all sorts of appliances to prison officials.

"They thought it was better to turn over the appliances instead of being discovered and be punished for having prohibited items in their possession," he said.

Abonales said prison investigators have identified the person who allegedly helped Co smuggle in the appliances.

However, he declined to reveal the suspect’s identity pending the results of the investigation. "But it is possible that the suspect is not an employee of the NBP," he said.

Co’s case would be turned over to the Bureau of Corrections’ board of discipline, which would determine what sanction is to be imposed on the inmate for violating prison rules, Abonales said.