4 inmates injured in BBRC roundup

CEBU — Jailguards yesterday had to repeatedly fire warning shots to force compliance of a desperate eleventh hour bid by officials for a cosmetic sweep of the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) prior to the visit of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Marius Corpuz.

When the "smoke of battle" cleared, at least four inmates were injured, a wide assortment of weapons was found, a surprising variety of appliances and sporting equipment was discovered, dozens of private makeshift hovels were destroyed, and close to a hundred family members living in with the inmates were driven out.

Corpuz, who was in Cebu to inspect the ongoing construction of a new jail at another site, went to the BBRC to see for himself one of the most controversial jails in the entire country.

The visit did not disappoint him. Corpuz was dumbstruck when in the course of a dialogue with leaders of the inmates — one, Jeremias Herbieto, surrendered a caliber .22 revolver with 10 live bullets.

The sweep called Operation Greyhound, started just before daybreak when guards, backed by police and SWAT teams, roused inmates and ordered the destruction of their hovels.

When the inmates resisted, the guards began to fire warning shots.

At least four of the inmates were injured by concrete fragments as some of the shots ricocheted off walls and ceilings.

"The situation demanded that if they use force we also use force," said Primitivo Benitez, the jail warden.

When the sound of gunfire appeared to unnerve the inmates, the order went out for them to strip their shirts and all were frisked and herded toward the roofdeck. There, held at bay by armed guards, the hovels were quickly demolished.

The dwellings within the jail yielded an array of things one does not expect to find in a jail.

A billiard table, video karaoke, tv sets, VCD players, stereo components, electric fans, ice cooler, and cellphones were discovered.

Even more surprising, no less than 60 women and children were in the hovels and had to be escorted out.

CIDG 7 chief Edwin Diocos, who was asked to back up the jailguards with a team of agents, said the system of administering the jail is chaotic and corrupt and inmates have lost all their respect for the guards.

"Physically, the lapses are very apparent. They have no clear policy in handling prisoners," Diocos said. — Freeman News Service