Lawmaker seeks audit of all jails, prisons

MANILA, Philippines - There should be a nationwide audit of all jails and prisons in the country after a raid on the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) exposed the extravagant lifestyle of high-profile convicts, Sen. Nancy Binay said yesterday.

She said the fault lies in the system in the detention facilities and the top officials’ failure to manage the funds allotted to these facilities. 

“It is not enough for us to reshuffle the guards and officers in these facilities. The officials responsible should be held accountable, too, and we have to conduct constant inspections and audits,” Binay said.

These lapses reflect badly on Justice Secretary Leila de Lima as the prison facilities managed by the Bureau of Corrections are under her supervision, according to Binay.

 “It is difficult to believe that the officials did not know what was happening. The blame should not be all on the NBP director. De Lima herself, upon her assumption of office, should have started cleaning up all the agencies under her jurisdiction,” she said.

DOJ urged to inspect Ampatuan jail

Meanwhile, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) chair Rowena Paraan urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to inspect the detention cells of the primary suspects in the Maguindanao massacre case.

The NUJP cited claims by Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, who said the Ampatuans are able to use mobile phones and give orders to their men outside the Quezon City Jail Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa.

“The revelation of Mangudadatu is of particular concern since it was made following the attempted assassination of prosecution witness Akmad Ampatuan, former mayor of Datu Salibo town, and the murder of another witness, Dennis Sakal,” Paraan said.

Mangudadatu’s wife led the convoy that was ambushed on Nov. 23, 2009 in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao. – With Janvic Mateo