Prison officials in Mindoro fired over smuggling incident

MANILA, Philippines — A camp commander and a commissioned officer at the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro have been relieved from their duties following a foiled attempt to smuggle contraband into the facility.

In a statement on Thursday, July 10, Corrections Chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. said he relieved camp commander Francisco Madrid and officer Edgar Laudencia from their posts.

Both have been reassigned to the Directorate for Personnel and Human Resource Development at the bureau’s national headquarters in Muntinlupa City pending further investigation.

According to the Bureau of Corrections, the smuggling attempt began when a dump truck loaded with gravel and sand was found suspiciously parked outside the facility’s hospital.

When questioned, the driver, identified as Rob Antaran, claimed he had a permit signed by Madrid authorizing him to deliver the materials. Security personnel then directed him to the designated unloading area.

However, upon arrival, the driver refused to unload the cargo, citing a malfunction in the truck’s hydraulic system. Due to his persistent refusal, he was brought to the visiting area for further questioning, where he eventually admitted the load contained concealed contraband.

Security and operations personnel later unloaded the truck and recovered a large quantity of contraband, including:

• 213 bottles of one-liter gin
• 48 bottles of 700 ml gin
• 16 bottles of one-liter whiskey
• 2 bottles of 700 ml whiskey
• 30 reams of cigarettes (10 packs per ream)
• 69 reams of tobacco (10 packs per ream)
• 10 packs of tobacco (6 bricks per pack)
• 37 sticks of tobacco

Catapang has ordered a full investigation into the incident to determine whether other personnel were involved.

In response, he directed all superintendents of prisons and penal farms nationwide to conduct a comprehensive review of their protocols for managing and inspecting deliveries. He also ordered the implementation of stricter guidelines for vehicle inspections, monitoring entry permits, and conducting unannounced inspections to prevent future smuggling attempts.