DOJ orders BuCor to continue Bilibid raids

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Justice has ordered the Bureau of Corrections to continue with the cleansing of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

In a press briefing, DOJ Undersecretary and spokesman Emmanuel Caparas said BuCor director general Ricardo Rainier Cruz III is expected not to stop with the bureau’s Oplan Galugad or the surprise raids in different quadrants of the national penitentiary.

“For as long as there are contraband seized, the raids will continue. That will continue and will just keep on happening until (NBP) is finally clean,” he said.

Caparas lauded Cruz for initiating the operation, which already involved 12 raids since November last year.

“He’s very single-minded in cleaning up (NBP) and that’s very admirable. He will do this as often as necessary for as long as they still see contraband,” he commented.

The DOJ official also bared that Cruz is preparing a report on the results of the operations – including recommending an investigation or charges against government employees – to be submitted to the DOJ.

 “We have not set a deadline. But knowing Director Cruz, they would no longer delay that (report),” he said.

Caparas stressed that once the penitentiary is free of contraband, the next level of reforms would then come in. He admitted that cleansing the NBP is a challenging task, considering the BuCor’s limited resources.

Last Wednesday, prison authorities have again confiscated contrabands inside the penitentiary – including a handgun, bladed weapons, drug paraphernalia, pocket Wi-Fi, a dual-band transceiver tuned to the BuCor radio network, an air conditioner and P119, 900 in cash from inmates in the maximum security compound.

The NBP, built in 1940 to house 8, 400 inmates, now has a total inmate population of 22,800 with only 500 prison guards.