Jail officials to probe ‘VIP treatment’ for pyramid suspect

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is looking into reports on the alleged special treatment being accorded to pyramiding scam suspect Rosario Baladjay at the Makati City jail, where she is detained on multi-million estafa charges.

BJMP director Chief Superintendent Arturo Alit said the alleged irregularities at the jail was discussed during a staff meeting yesterday morning.

Alit said the allegations stemmed from a photograph taken of Baladjay and 20 others holding a party at the back of the Makati City jail. He pointed out, however, that the picture may have been taken last year, before the term of the new jail warden.

"Our regional director Superintendent Clarito Jovel has conducted an initial investigation and has indicated that Makati City jail warden Superintendent Edgar Bolcio had no liability in connection with the alleged irregularities," Alit told The STAR.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier received complaints, along with the photo, from one of Baladjay’s investors. The complainant reported that Baladjay had been receiving VIP treatment at the jail.

The NBI is now coordinating with Makati City jail officials to clarify the reports that reached the bureau.

A Makati City judge earlier junked Baladjay’s request to allow her to be confined to a hospital for medical treatment.

Baladjay and other pyramiding scam suspects were arrested one after the other by the NBI agents on orders by NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco.

Wycoco has directed all bureau agents to go after pyramiding suspects, who have victimized hundreds of investors and collected at least P125 billion in investments.

So far, the NBI agents have arrested Baladjay of Multi-Tel, Ervin Mateo of the Mateo Management Group, Maria Teresa Santos of the MTST and Palmy Tibayan, wife of Jesus Tibayan of the Tibayan Group Investment.

Authorities are now hunting down Jesus Tibayan, Ezekiel Martinez, Liborio Elacio, Jimmy Catigan and Nilda Baran, who are the subject of warrants of arrest for the non-bailable offense of large-scale estafa.