Senator Panfilo Lacson. INQUIRER.net / CATHY MIRANDA
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson bared on Sunday that “high-profile” inmates are in control of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
According to Lacson, anomalies in the prison have evolved over time where it has become almost “mafia-like” inside.
“Ang isang maliwanag na na-establish dito, na parang ang mga high-profile inmates naging napakamakapangyarihan at napakayaman, na sila na halos ang nagpapatakbo ng kulungan, hindi na ang gobyerno,” he said in an interview with dzBB.
“Sila na ang nasusunod, kung sino ilalagay sa kubol, sino ita-transfer sa malalayo, sa Iwahig o Davao; kung sino iko-confine sa hospital, kung sino pa isasama i-confine bukod sa kanila. At sila pa nagdi-direct ng operation ng droga sa labas,” he added.
Lacson said that the situation inside the NBP “has gone so bad na naging helpless na ang gobyerno.”
He added that inmates can hire killers while in prison and 80 percent of illegal drug transactions are happening inside the NBP.
“Pasalamat na rin tayo na nagkaroon ng pagdinig kasi kung hindi, hindi nabulgar lahat ito, tuloy-tuloy ang ligaya sa loob, malala na nga, baka lalo pang lumala,” Lacson said.
It could be noted that a Bureau of Corrections officer was shot dead by an unidentified armed man amid the controversy surrounding the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law fiasco.
READ: BuCor officer shot dead in Muntinlupa
According to BuCor, 1,914 convicted of heinous crimes were released through the GCTA, including four Chinese drug lords and the suspects on the Chiong sisters rape-slay case
READ: Chiong sisters rape-slay convicts already released – Lacson | 4 convicted Chinese drug lords released from jail since June — Lacson
A wife of an inmate, however, said in a Senate hearing that a “GCTA for sale scheme” in the NBP exists.
Yolanda Camelon claimed that she had paid P50,000 to secure the release of her common-law partner, but the release date kept being moved back despite payment of the bribe. /je
READ: Witness tells Senate: Freedom comes with a price tag in Bilibid