NBI has witness in Bilibid blast

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation  (NBI) now has a witness in the grenade blast that killed an inmate and wounded 19 others inside New Bilibid Prison (NBP) maximum security compound two weeks ago, an official said yesterday. 

“The witness saw who lobbed the grenade,” NBI director Virgilio Mendez told The STAR in an interview, adding NBI agents would ask several inmates to stand in a lineup for identification.

Mendez said NBI agents were supposed to go back to the NBP last week so the witness could identify the man who carried the MK42 fragmentation grenade that exploded in the Commando Gang’s building, but the schedule was postponed because of the papal visit.

The NBI was on full alert during the days Pope Francis was here to prevent any attempt to “rescue” the drug lords who were transferred to the bureau after the Dec. 15, 2014 raid on the state penitentiary.

Meanwhile, the NBI has put up a wall and installed surveillance cameras in its detention center to prevent the drug lords from interacting with ordinary detainees and their visitors.

Mendez said the wall, erected last week, was part of security measures taken by NBI to ensure that the inmates could no longer smuggle in contraband like money and gadgets.

He said they decided to put up the wall after they were convinced that the gadgets and wads of cash found in the inmates’ possession last December were smuggled in with the help of visitors.

Mendez said even the food brought to the prisoners is also being checked by NBI agents, who were deployed to join ordinary guards from NBI and Bureau of Correction in guarding the drug lords.